An Amazing Mother!

Guess who I am talking about???? My sister Shannon! She is one of the most amazing people that I know & I am extremely proud & honored to call her my sister and my friend. She is a mother that I look up to & I would strive to be like. Her ability to handle all of the daily stresses that are handed to her and still be a great mom is simply amazing to me. What amazes me even more is that she is finally taking the time to take care of herself and schedule some "me time" for a mom who really gives a 110%!!!

I love you Shannie & thank you for making me laugh everyday at the crazy things that you say and actually think!

Pool Day!

It was a perfectly beautiful pool day today & because of that Elijah suckered us into letting him skip his nap and swim in the pool. I really do not like to skip nap but I just figured he would go to bed early and Cookie and I would have some time to ourselves. Well, that is not exactly how it worked out and these pictures are exactly why Elijah still naps everyday for at least 2 hours.

Play date with the Ladies...

Marybeth and her stunningly beautiful daughters came for a play date and I would use one word to describe it, peaceful. There was no fighting, no rough housing, splashing, running, or hitting. I hope that Elijah grows up to treat every female in his life like he did Emma, he just continually offered to share with her, asked her what she wanted to do, and was sad to see her go. There was one area he was not too keen on sharing and that was Michelle I think he thinks she is all his and he does not need to share, little does he know she has plenty of love and attention for everyone. Elijah has been asking for Emma everyday since she left so we will need to get together again soon before the summer ends and Mary is back to the grind!

For the brief time that Samuel and Julia were up from their naps they also played well together!

Thanks for making the drive up & spending the the day!

Finally Summer

Finally, it seems like summer time around these parts. It has not been the nicest summer at all with constant rain and cooler temps we have not had the chance to use the pool and I just keep finding myself looking at tickets to head south for a few weeks and get some sunshine. Not this week the sun is shining and I am loving every minute of it. What makes this week even more enjoyable Michelle come home with me from our girls weekend and is spending the week here with us. I love having her around she brings a sense of calm and peace that I need in my daily life & it was nice not to have the phone attached to my head while I was out side getting some much need rays.

The boys also loves having her here. They love their Godmother so much and think that she is the best playmate. Michelle & Elijah had tons of fun swimming, drawing with chalk, and indulging in an afternoon popsicle or two.

Thanks Friend, for getting my Elijah back in the pool and swimming whatever you did worked he is now swimming like a champ!

Girls Weekend!

This past weekend I went to the 2nd annual Girls Weekend. This year Danielle hosted up in her new beautiful home in Marblehead. Marblehead was simply beautiful and the perfect setting for endless chatting, drinking, eating, walking, and getting some great sun! It was so nice to leave the boys at home and just be concerned about myself for a moment. I am proud to say that Cookie did an amazing job and never even bothered me while I was away with a question about anything. I also came home to a clean & quiet house which also included that he did the stinky diaper wash. I came fully recharged and ready to be a mom and wife again. Amazing what a few days with good girlfriends can do. Thanks Mary, Danielle, and Michelle for loving me for who I am that accepting what I can offer, I love you ladies!

I should listen to my mother.

I really should just start listening to my mother because 99.9% of the time she is correct. In this instance I am referring the topic of potty training. She continually told me not to worry about it and it would happen on it's own. I of course have tried to potty train Elijah several times in the last six months but with not much success. I really have a hard time when things do not go as I set out for them to be and since the conception of my Elijah I am reminded time and time again that it is not always my way. Anyway, I started to get nervous about the potty training and asked every mother of boys that I bumped into who had a child NOT in diapers how they did it. Funny enough they all had a similar answer to my mom, "It will happen when they are ready." I can now share first hand that this is TRUE! Elijah woke up one morning and simply decided enough is enough no more diapers. Cookie and I followed his lead with a few occasional reminders and success! I am proud to report that we only have had about 4 accidents in the last month and this also includes naps and overnights. I am so proud of my Elijah and I am proud to say yes he is officially potty trained!

A few tid bits I would share with my fellow mommies:

Skip the pull-up it is kind of confusing, a waste of money, and horrible for the planet. We used the Gerber training pants & the Imse Vimse organic cotton training
pants.

Stay close to home for a few days in the begining.

Reward Chart works wonders, it amazes me how happy Elijah was to get a simple gold star.

Read lots of books about the subject. We have a few favorites if anyone is interested let me know.

Finally simply follow their lead!

Soccer!

Friday morning could not have come quick enough in the Popotte house, it was finally the day for soccer! Elijah was so excited all week long anticipating the start of soccer. He woke up Friday morning, ran across the hall in to our room, threw the door open and yelled at the top of his lungs "IT IS SOCCER DAY...GET UP MOM!!!"! I am happy to report that soccer was a great success! There were a few points where Elijah had trouble listening but he did great at the soccer aspect. We are lucky enough the Elijah is actually playing soccer with his best friend Cam, the two of them were running the show on Friday and really too cute to watch. I love the Elijah had such a cool best friend and that he gets excited to see him and do things with him. Now the challenge will be for the two of them to pay attention and not just think they are on a play date!

Here are a few pics from soccer, enjoy!!!