Big Boy Undies!!!

Yes, the Padilla family is CELEBRATING these days because Jonathan is potty-trained, yeah!! Hey desperate parents out there, all I can say is... get some Hershey Bars & a good-working timer. Yep, those 2 are to credit (ok and some patience and persistence too). From the time he wakes up in the morning to the time he goes to bed we put him on the toilet every 15-20 minutes. Every time he actually goes #1 or #2 he gets a small slice of the hershey bar, mmmm. And we're proud to say (on Jo's behalf,ha) that he has only pee'd in his underwear once in the last few days he's been 'in training'. Not bad at all. Gotta say, much easier to rinse those undies out than changing 6-7 diapers a day (not to mention the cost of those #@(@! diapers). I must admit too, Jo looks pretty darn cute sitting on the potty like a big kid, although his feet are not anywhere close to touching the floor yet :-)

Gettin' into the swing of things...

The first question that comes up in recent conversations seems to be 'so how are the kids adjusting'? Answer...Great!! Shayley and Reece have embraced their new brother and sister (literally) with open arms. Ama (4th), Shayley(3rd) and Reece(K) just finished their second week of school - first day of school pic above. Ama has received a very warm welcome from the staff and students at Ascension Lutheran School and she is doing well in her studies, keeping up with the 9 other students in her class too! Shayley loves her 3rd grade teacher, Mrs.Schubarth, and her favorite subject is Art :-) Reece can't wait to start school each day and is usually dressed in uniform before we're hardly out of bed, so safe to say he loves kindergarten. Jo is my little buddy during the day until noon when we go pick up Reece at school. I've started to run in the mornings with Jo in the jogger - talk about a work-out!! Who needs a gym when you have a toddler?! Jo has also joined the Moms Morning Out kids on Friday mornings so mommy can volunteer at school with the Hands On Art program or just have a free morning to herself. Some other activities that fill our days are piano, tae kwon do, hula class, kids choir, tutoring, taking Tux to the vet every other day (no joke) for his paw he cut pretty deep on a bean can, yes you read that right. Smart dog, can get into trash cans that are tightly closed. That was one EXPENSIVE can of beans lemme tell ya. There's s a pic of him also above in his new get-up. Yeh, that would be his FIRST cast and E-collar, cuz he's already gone through (or chewed thru), ummm... lost count.

First Family Trip to Hume Lake

We just returned from a wonderful family vacation at Hume Lake and we've got pics to prove it (hint: see our slide show above). What could be better... aahhh, the smell of pine trees and clean air (which we can really appreciate with all these fires lately), no cell phones or computers for 5 days, movie nights for mommy & daddy, family time playing games together (Hungry Hippo and Alphabet Bingo R the favorites), and even the luxury of sleeping in until 8:30am - doesn't get much better than that in my little world these days. For those of ya outta the loop, Hume Lake is nestled in the beautiful Sequoia National Forest in Central California, a must-visit-and-stay kind of place that you'll never forget. Check out their web site at http://www.humelake.org/. We surprised the kids on the last day with a late-night trip out to the balcony to lie underneath the stars. We covered up in blankets and watched as shooting stars (and satellites too) lit up the sky, yet another awesome testament to God's amazing creation.