Practice Camping

Arthur has been off the hook for taking Tyler on the annual father/son camp out. Tyler really would not have fared well and frankly, I don't think Arthur would have fared very well, either. So, we had decided to wait a few years until we were confident both of them would be able to survive the night without killing each other!

Well, Tyler is almost 5 and has really matured quite a bit in the last few years. Arthur is almost 33 and has also really matured as a father! So, we decided to do a trial run in the back yard to see how they would do. Since the safety of the home was just steps away, Dylan was included in this test as well!

Arthur got home from work really late, so there was not much time to do any official camping activities. Once the tent was set up, it was already dark and time for bed. The kids got their jammies on and loaded up with their trail mix snack. They snuggled into their sleeping bags and then watched Bolt on the portable DVD player. These kids really are spoiled when it comes to "roughing it"!

Despite the constant dog howling, thunder/bombing (not sure what this is), and psycho bird noises we have in our neighborhood, the boys were sound asleep by 10:15. They woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 6:15 in the morning. Although Arthur did not sleep very well, they all had a great night together. As soon as Dylan woke up, he sat up and said, "That was fun camping, Daddy!"

Major props to Arthur for being such a great dad!

Flashlights are clearly only to be used as Lightsabers
Once all the Storm Troopers had been slayed, the boys could nestle safely into their sleeping bags
Enjoying the movie and snack

Easter Hunt

I kept my promise from last year and did not give into the temptation of attending the local Egg Hunt sponsored by the city. Even though the money spent does support a good cause, I just couldn't put the kids through another disappointing egg hunt. So, a few of us decided to get together and plan our own Egg Hunt that would guarantee each child a certain number of eggs per child. Even though the logistics of egg division was a little tricky, it was definitely worth the work!

The bigger kids had to really hunt for their eggs in the lower level of our yard. The Dads really did a good job of hiding them, but then had the task of helping find some of the harder ones.

On the top level, the younger kids had it easy!
Dylan and JulieDylan and Tanner
At one point during the hunt, we looked over and saw buddies Dylan and Tanner enjoying the candy from their eggs together. Those sneaky boys!
After the hunt, we had all the kids gather for a picture (thank you Nicole - I stole this from your blog) and lunch

Nudie Days

Well we have officially started potty training Dylan all over again. After multiple accidents and his constant refusal to tell me when he needs to go, I am at my wits end. So, Arthur suggested we do nudie mode. With Tyler, it was really easy because we just stayed inside for a month while I let him run around naked most of the day. Now that our lives are a bit more busy, I obviously can't keep Dylan nude all day. He has to wear clothing! But, Arthur is right. I think it is the only way. So, Dylan will be nude when we are home.

And I had major progress today! He had just finished 2 cups of milk, so I knew he was primed and ready to go. We were working on letters, and he was shaking and wiggling a ton. But, I didn't ask him if he needed to go. I just sat as if I had no idea he was holding it. The letter-learning took a major downward turn as he was so distracted with holding his bladder. After 10 minutes of wiggle jiggles, I really thought an accident would happen. I mean how long could he put it off? Finally, after 5 unsuccessful attempts at locating the letter K, he had had enough. He looked at me and said, "Mommy, I need to go poo-poo!"

A big "WOO HOO" came out of my mouth! I was so happy to hear those words come out of his mouth! I have learned that there is a big difference between being potty trained and just having a strong bladder. I am really hoping that this will be the trick for him. I just don't want to have to show up at elementary school every 3 hours to take him to the restroom!

P.S. I know it has been a while since I have posted pictures. I do have some stuff to post - I just haven't gotten to it. So, hopefully in the next week I will get some more "fun" posts up here!