Recently, Hannah has really stepped up in taking on some personal responsibility.  Mainly in the area of potty-training, which is something I really encourage and am excited about.  On Thursday, she did a great job of telling me when she had to have a bowel movement.  And, she must have had 6 bathroom episodes all day, with success, I might add.  Between her and Paul, I felt like I spent the day in the bathroom wiping little bottoms.

Anyway, completely unlike Paul, Hannah has a strong propensity to 1. get off the little potty, 2. play with the contents of the potty bowl.  But, like Paul, she likes her privacy when she is “busy”.  On Thursday, after one of her sessions, I found her standing beside the little potty, with smears all over the potty, herself, and a large amount on the floor.  That was a real clean-up operation.  So, when she announced later that she had to go, I decided to take my sister-in-law’s advice, and put the seat-reducer on the big potty and put her up there where she “couldn’t get off”.  I went back out to the kitchen to do a few things, and in about three minutes, Hannah walked out to the kitchen and said, “Poo-poo”.  I said, “Did you put poo-poo in the potty?”

“Yep”.

First off, this little girl got down off the big potty without and bumping, clattering, banging, or crying whatsoever, and there was no stool.

Secondly, we walked together to the bathroom, and there was the “success” on the floor beside the big potty, and it was then that I noticed she had tramped in it with both feet, and there were tracks on the floor!!  Succeeding event:  major clean-up.  Again.  And it was then that I thought maybe training her to a litter box would be easier, less mess, and maybe better all around (?).  But, I’m not serious.  I have since decided that I will save time by standing just around the corner of the bathroom doorway, and peeping at her every 20-30 seconds while she does her “work”.  I may not get anything done while she’s on the potty, but at least I won’t be spending 15 minutes cleaning her up, maybe changing her clothes, and cleaning up the floor.

If it were only these two times, it wouldn’t merit the litter box option.  But, I can’t tell you the number of times in the last several months I have cleaned up poo-poo after her, be it from playing in it, getting off the potty, running out of the bathroom while I am helping Paul off the potty and doing it on a chair in the kitchen, or tramping poo-poo footprints down the hall.  But, at least she is telling me about her need to go (though sometimes it’s too late), and she isn’t afraid to use the potty.

Paul had me spoiled, because he never, never did poo-poo anywhere but the potty–and that’s ever since a few weeks after turning 1 year old, unless he was in a situation where he couldn’t get to one, which rarely happened.  And he never, ever touched it.  Now-a-days, he doesn’t even tell me when he has to go, he just goes in the bathroom, pulls down his own britches and undies, and sits down on the little potty himself.  When I can’t find him, I go look in the bathroom.

So, if the my new surveillance methods work, you won’t see a litter box in the corner of the bathroom.  If you find one there, you’ll know I got to my wit’s end and decided to give it a try!

Just to let you  know, I haven’t found frogs in my bed, and our water hasn’t turned to wine or anything like that.  But we have had some interesting times over here.

Yesterday morning, while I was downstairs riding the exercise bike, just doin’ my normal thing, who comes down the steps but Adrian, our eight-year-old neighbor boy.  That isn’t so strange, because he has done that before.  The first words out of his mouth were, “Can we come over?”  So, what was I supposed to say?  I told him yes, and told him I was going to be canning peaches.  I asked him if everybody was with him (his three younger siblings).  He said no, he had ridden his bike over.  I asked him how soon they would be here, and he said, “Oh, probably an hour.”  I was thinking, “Good, I can get my shower before they get here.”  He toodled around the basement a little, and then after a bit said he’d be going.  I said, “I’ll see you soon!”  And Adrian replied, “If it’s alright with Mom.”  That nearly stunned me.  Had he come over on his own accord, checked to see if they could come over, and then was going back to ask his mom if they could come to my house for the morning?  I wasn’t sure what to think.

When I came upstairs, Andrew told me that Adrian had told him his mom was going to run some errands.

It could not have been more than 15 minutes after Adrian left until all four children were at the door grinning and delighted to come to our house.  I had not had my shower and we were just starting breakfast.  Anyway, we just rolled through the morning, doing the next thing at each turn.  Adrian helped me carry all my jars of peaches downstairs.  I decided to throw some pizza in the oven (from the freezer) for our lunch instead of making umpteen sandwiches.  We were all out of cookies, so we had bananas and nectarines for dessert.  Their mom came just as we were ready to pray and eat, so she joined us for lunch.  They played outside a little after lunch, and then went home around 1:30.

One interesting thing about these children is they seem to be fixated on septic tanks.  Once, when we were out in the back yard, Adrian asked where our septic tank was.  I told him I wasn’t sure, but I pointed out the sunken place in the yard where we thought it was.  He said, “Well, you can get a shovel and dig down and see.”  I’m sure with the slightest word on my part, he would have gotten our shovel out of the shed and dug a hole to see if that was our septic tank under there.

Then, yesterday, while I was helping little Andrew and Paul use the potty (they are the same age, and at the same stage of potty training, so it is easy to take them both at the same time), Arlene, who is 4, asked, “Where’s your septic tank?”  (or maybe it was “Do y’all have a septic tank?”).  I told her it was in the back yard.  She told me that they had one and “We dug it up and got the poop out of it.  Y’all can dig yours up and get the poop out of it.”  I told her our septic system was working just fine so we didn’t need to dig it up.  (At four years old, mind you, and already an authority on septic systems!)

After I told all this to Andrew (my husband), I told him if we ever need our septic tank dug up, we must be sure to have these children over to watch!

Today has been fun, exciting, full, and wonderful.  We will all sleep well tonight (some people already are…I hope to join them soon).  There was so much excitement, that I just wanted to put up a blog post while it is still fresh on my mind.

We had the neighbor children over again today, so my day started out with the alarm bursting into my sleep at 5:45 so I could be up and dressed and in my right mind when they arrived at 6:00.  This time, Adrian, the oldest, went to the farmer’s market with his mom, since his school will soon be starting.  I had peaches to can, and I was a little apprehensive about how it would all work out, canning while keeping up with 5 (I originally thought it would be 6) children.  You know, it went really well.  I just put on the kettles and got started, and it all went rolling along, punctuated with potty times, diaper changes, coloring book-finding, water-paint setting-up, denying getting out the playdough, fight-stopping, instruction-giving (lots of that!), tolerating crying from my own children (because they were awakened way too early), drink-giving (chocolate milk, that is!), and all that goes along with it.  I had all the peaches blanched before breakfast, and we had scrambled eggs and tater tots (heh, heh, that’s one of my tricks, we have tater tots instead of toast so I don’t have to butter and jelly 65 pieces of bread while running the toaster, and dish up eggs, and refill milk cups, and dole out fruit all at the same time) for breakfast.  Then, I started peeling peaches.  The two oldest girls wanted to fill jars, so they filled the first 7 jars.   Then, they all went outside to play.

Hannah & Audrea–who was enjoying this much more

than Hannah.  They (Audrea & Arlene) usually like to

mother her more than Hannah can appreciate.

They were outside just long enough for me to get the next round of peaches peeled and in the jars–just before they came bursting back in and begging to help can peaches.  I let them fill the next (and final, for today anyway) round of jars.

These are pictures of Paul and Hannah helping yesterday.

They helped until I nearly lost my mind and several

peaches had turned to water balloons from too much

throwing and dropping.  Then, they had to go play with

their toys while I  wiped up all the water and finished

peeling the peaches.  A lot of crying came forth initially,

but then they played.

(Yes, I know she looks like her Aunt Julia here!)

We got all that done just before noon.  Then, I quickly washed up the breakfast dishes (the sinks had been full of peaches before) and made a slew of sandwiches (o.k., so for Orpha’s family, that would be “just a couple”, but for us, it was a slew of ‘em!), mixed up another jug of chocolate milk, and pulled some chocolate chip cookies from the freezer.  We ate our lunch, and then after I cleaned all the faces and hands after lunch, I instructed them to go outside.  They had a ball outside, and Adrian soon came to take walk them home.  They had come home from the market early because I had a dr. appointment in the afternoon, and so did one of the girls.

Andrew & Paul

Our Hannah Baby is driving!!

Audrea & Arlene

Audrea, Arlene & Adrian

I put Paul and Hannah down for their naps, slipped into some clean clothes and headed for the dr.’s office.  I noticed dried peaches on my left arm on the way.  Oh well!  At least it was fresh dirt.  When I got home, I lay on the couch for about 10 minutes before Hannah woke up.  Then, we all got ready to go pick grapes with Andrew’s brother, Ben.

Paul and Hannah waiting for Uncle Ben and

drinking water.

While we were waiting for Ben to show up, here’s what we saw go across our drive and up our tree!

We’re always happy to see our friends the blacksnakes around, because it means we won’t be having trouble with mice any time soon!  Paul wanted to get really close to him and inspect him well, but we had to restrain him to keep him at least 2-3 feet away.

Then it was on to the grapevines.  Paul must have thought he was in heaven, because he loves grapes.  He ate grapes the whole time.  Fortunately, we could pick them faster than he could eat them!

Paul

Uncle Ben & Paul

Hannah

After that, we took Ben to Cracker Barrel for supper.  Afterwards, we sat on the rocking chairs for a little bit.

Hannah & Paul

Ben, Sally, Andrew, Hannah, & Paul

When we got home, we unloaded the van, and then I was returning a phone call from a message.  I turned around to see our Miss Hannah doing this:

I thought she had eaten enough macaroni and cheese, biscuit, French fries, ham, and fried apples to fill her to the earlobes, but apparently not, because she finished off an entire banana.  Maybe she’s in a growth spurt.  Paul decided he wanted a banana too, so he ate just about a whole one.  Where do they put all that food?  Do they take after their mama?  Uhhhh…maybe you’d better not answer that one!

Here’s a picture of Hannah with some neat, anti-gravity hair just after she woke up from a nap yesterday:

That’s all, folks!  (Until next time.)

Yesterday we got together with Andrew’s parents, his brother and his family, and his Marine brother Ben for a picnic on a farm near Mt. Crawford.  There is a river there, and we went wading in the river.  We had brought along two innertubes, and they were great for floating in the lazy part of the river.  I felt like I could live the life of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn!

Hannah & Andrew

Paul

my nephew

Paul & Andrew

Hannah & Sally, Andrew & Paul

After our time at the river, Paul and Hannah were tuckered out.  Here’s Paul having a quiet time in the back of our van.  Hannah was in a bedroom with her big bear having a quiet time.

Ben grilling the steaks and hamburgers.

After the meal, we played Pictionary until about 8:30.  That was plenty late, considering that we then had to load up our tons of paraphernalia and drive about 45 minutes to get home.  But, we had a great game and had a lot of fun.  My team lost, but we were ahead for most of the game!  It was about as perfect a day and picnic as we could ever have hoped for.

…it is time to go looking for my children.  In the past couple days, I have found some interesting sights when I went looking, and I decided to take some pictures before I messed up the scene.

I found Hannah sitting on the table eating cucumbers

that were left over from lunch.

Paul soon joined her and they cleaned out the bowl.

Then I made them get down.

I found Hannah on the floor finishing my yogurt, that

she had reached down off the table.  (Yes, I do feed

this girl!)

Paul made himself at home in the softies basket.

I nearly made Paul get off these immediately, and then

I decided to snap a picture first.  Then, I gave him strict

instructions not to sit on the peaches ever again.

This evening as I was washing dishes, it was quiet for

a while.  I sneaked over to the living room, and there was

Paul reading a book on the couch, and opposite him

Hannah was reading a book on the love seat!  I was

able to get a picture of Paul, but Hannah didn’t cooperate

as well.

I did manage to get a picture of Hannah with a book

before she ran to me to look at herself on the

screen of the digital camera.

The next couple pictures aren’t ones I sneaked up and found my children doing.  In fact, this one with the doggie and Tigger slippers I just found on the camera.  I guess Andrew took it sometime.

One night, I found Hannah Houdini when I went to tuck her in.  She has done this before, gotten an arm out of her pajamas as she was going to sleep.  I put her back together so she wouldn’t get too cold.

Here is Paul “working on the peaches” as he called it.  He is taking them out of the box, and putting them in other boxes.

…to be a handsome boy is very high, if you ask Paul.  While I was giving him a haircut this evening, he howled like he was being tortured.  He was howling and wiggling, putting his hands in his mouth to get hair out, I’m sure, but doubtless putting more in with each insertion, and Hannah was hanging on my skirt, and often standing between Paul and I, and what a disaster the whole thing felt like!  I finally got done, and whisked him inside, took off his clothes, and got him in the bathtub.  His dire situation inside that caused howling fit to wake the dead was that I wouldn’t let him snuggle with his blankie until after his bath.  I didn’t want hair clippings all over the blankie!  Here’s a post-haircut, post-bath Paul.

And here’s one with Hannah, just because I think she’s particularly cute in this picture:

At least Paul shouldn’t have any trouble like a little kid at the park today.  While I was keeping the neighbor’s children today, we went to Hillandale Park.  There was a busload of children there also, all about 6-7 years old, I would guess.  Hannah was on the play equipment, and at one point she was blocking the path and a little black kid with hair braided in corn rows and then the braids going 6-8 inches down the back wanted through.  I asked Hannah to move so this girl could get past.  The kid simply said, “I’m a boy”.  I just said, “I’m sorry”.  How was I to know it was a boy?  There certainly was no visible indicator!  Anyway, I guess if the little boy wants others to know he’s a little boy, he’s going to have to get a haircut.  I’m glad Paul’s not in that situation, and won’t be as long as I can help it!

One more exciting thing from this evening, and then I must get to bed.  After supper, I put Hannah down out of her seat.  She walked over to a chair, and I wasn’t paying attention to her, but I somehow sensed she was being quiet.  I turned and looked at her, and she looked at me, and she said, “Potty. Poo-poo.”  I whisked her right to the bathroom, and she had just started in her diaper.  I put her on the little potty, and she got right to it and finished!  Yay!

Long ago she quit going regularly after meals, and I have just been doing hit-and-miss training.  If I see her getting serious, I rush her to the potty, and usually she will either do it there, or complete it there if she’s already begun.  But, I don’t always catch her, and she tends to do this at random times, not on a schedule like Paul was.  This evening is the first time she has told me about it though, so this is progress!

Ahhh, Paul and Hannah have been enjoying so much summer around here, I want to snap pictures and hold onto it all.  When they are having fun, that makes me happy and helps me to have fun too.  One day recently they watched a movie of “Gorgen [children] singing”.

On Saturday (or maybe it was Friday, I forget)

Andrew read stories to them.

Then, they looked at dolphins on the computer.

I got hungry for soft pretzels, and have made them

no less than three (!!!) times recently.

Today we vacuumed the whole house and the

back porch.  (You’ve no idea how many pictures

I took just to get these two of Paul & Hannah

vacuuming!!)

Here Paul and Hannah are horsing around in Paul’s

room just before naps.

Hannah is a deal.  She worms her body into any space

she wants to get in, including the little car, even if

Paul is in it.  She is crying because she can’t get in

properly, and Paul is crying because Hannah is

in there at all!

The late evenings–that’s when they play the best

outside, and get the dirtiest!  We get part of the garden

in the tub nearly every night.