The poopisode

So I thought it might be a good idea to let C wear his big boy undies after his bath Saturday night.  He'd already pooped and he peed before and after his bath in the toilet.  I started thinking earlier in the day that maybe we should try potty-training.  Boy was I wrong.  This night taught me two things--he's not ready and I hope he stays in diapers until kindergarten or until he can wipe his own butt--screw preschool. 

Here's what happened: I set forth the ground rules:

1. do not pee in your underwear
2. do not poop in your underwear
3. doing either of the above will make mommy MAD!
4. just tell mommy or daddy if you need to go pottie

These rules were met with a happy okay.  I planned to let him wear his undies about an hour.  I asked him, no exaggeration, every 3 minutes if he needed to go pottie.  He always said no.  I watched him for any movement of trying to go to the bathroom.  About 50 minutes into the process he told me he pooped then no he didn't poop.  We didn't detect any sign of a load in his pants and we never saw him to the poop push/squat.  Believe me I was watching him like a hawk.  I decided to check.  To my horror there was a little round mound of poo.  I freaked out!!!!  He kept telling me he didn't poop the whole way to the toilet.  I set him on the big potty to his freaking out b/c he felt like he was falling in.  I proceeded to wipe his bum, which was really difficult to do at this angle--trying to help him stay up and from jumping off the toilet.  Finally we were done after much arguing that he didn't poop his pants--we have a burgeoning liar on our hands.

Finally a church decision

So we made our final second trial runs, and we both feel that today's church is the one we feel is the best fit.  It's not perfect, but we hope it turns out great.  It seems like a good mix of where we can be nurtured and where we can serve.  It's pretty small, but people are super friendly--and not in a weird, uncomfortable way.  We are pretty excited about this.  Colin had a great time--they learned about Jonah in the Whale and made the cutest craft about it.  I'm amazed that so few people put together this service each week.

The pastor's sermon was really meaninful for us and just helped both of us to redirect our priorities and to continue to trust in the promise that God blesses us in his grace not in things.   I wish I had taken notes--he had so many great points and great scripture references.

And we're off again

In this off again, on again relationship with our "buyers" we are off again.  They have decided that they are out for good.  These have to be the flakiest people in the history of buyers.  I'm so frustrated I just want to scream...then cry.

Weekend fun...a little late

So it was my bday last weekend and we went to St. Louis to celebrate w/Sarah and Mitch (Scott's sis and BIL) and Chad and Missy (friends).  We stayed w/Sarah and Mitch and she made me a b-day cake the night we got there.  Then Sat we went to Eckert's to pick apples and enjoy the family fun farm at the Millstadt location.  I also got my haircut--first time in 10 months.  I've got a new do, but haven't taken any photos since.  Sat. night we got a babysitter and we all went to eat at this tapas bar in Kirkwood.  It was so much fun and delicious.  We just kept ordering more food and drink.  It was a gastronomic feast.  We got to try so many things b/c there were 6 of us and each plate is like a bites worth for 6 people. 


Sun .I went shopping for a little while w/Sarah and then headed home.  The b-day celebration just ended today.  Not too shabby!  Much better than my 30th b-day. 

Now for the pictures

riding the tractor after picking our apples.  C ate three apples while we were there

"driving" the tractor

 riding the  "spot" the pony.  I was cracking up here b/c he started yelling hi at Sarah and Mitch who he'd been ignoring the whole time they'd been trying to get his attention.

riding the apple--like the tea cups.  C closed his eyes when he felt dizzy--which amounts to him making a funny face and squeezing his eyes shut as tight as possible.

Does it look like I just smelled a fart.  I can't tell you how many photos I see of myself where I have this same look on my face. 

posing in the pumpkins

picking apples w/mitch and sarah.  mitch is exceedingly good at creepy faces like I am good at fart faces.

not sure what this is about

And that's the rest of the story

It has been a weird 3 weeks.  I feel we've been living in the mist.  I haven't followed any sort of normal schedule.  Exercise has been hit or miss--eating has been terrible.  I keep getting a stuffy nose.  I've spent so much of my time worrying about our house selling/not selling; how we can be good landlords if we rent our home, how will I find a job, and a ton of other things out of my control.  I also spent a ridiculous amount of time reading the Percy Jackson books (so good by the way--like Harry Potter meets Greek mythology).  I tried getting back into exercising this week and started off well, but I missed yesterday--just not enough time in the day.  Tuesday we got the call that these buyers were putting another offer on our home (in their minds a counter-offer even though they had bowed out and missed their time window to counteroffer). 

These people, in my non-professional opinion are from another planet.  They want us to pay for all sorts of things--the closing costs (which would be fine if they weren't trying to undercut us so much we bleed) and they want us to buy them a refrigerator. The refrigerator part boggles my mind.  Our house has never had a fridge in it since they started looking at it.  Aliens maybe have inhabited their body?  They know they are offering us less than our payoff amount yet they keep wanting us to add stuff in.  We finally said yes if they take the house as is.  So basically if we have to repair anything to do w/radon or termites they don't get the refrigerator but otherwise we will get them one.  I feel I'm in bizarro world.  The market is so different from what it was both times we bought our homes.  I'm not anxious to buy another home soon--I'll tell you that. 

In good news--my parents came for a quick visit to celebrate my bday.  We have indulged in some good eating.  Now they're gone and C and I are sad.

Oh the fickleness of buyers

So our crazy buyers put another contract on our home.  It's not as good as we countered, but much better than their original offer.  We will lose a lot of money, but we think we can recoup fairly soon since we will be out of the maintenance of our "vacation" home--where we never vacation.

More details to follow.  Until we sign those papers on Oct 28 I still feel it is tentative.  These peeps are a whole bunch of crazy--will give more details later.

For Rent

So the buyers backed out--not so unexpected.  I think they didn't really have the money to even put an offer on our house, so it was all for nothing. 

So now we start exploring renting.  I'm not excited about this at all, but we've got to do something.  We will be looking for someone that wants a short term rental, so we can put it back on the market in March.