Our Faux Easter Sunday

Since we didn't get dressed in our Sunday best on Easter day this year due to watching General Conference, we dressed up the following Sunday. My boys are so handsome.

Too bad Calvin refuses to cooperate for photos...

This is as good as it gets!

Happy Easter! ...last week!

The Yuckos

My poor Calvin Boy has had diarrhea for a week and has been vomiting intermittently. It's so sad to see him get panicked when these awful bodily functions occur. As a mom, all I can do is watch. I comfort him, teach him how to recognize cues, replenish his electrolytes, and feed him foods that are gentle on his digestive system. 

Ultimately, this stomach bug (Calvin calls them "the yuckos") has to take its toll and Cal's got to learn patience. Even though he's feeling awful, he hides it quite well. Today he picked out his own outfit, got dressed all by himself, and played nicely for hours -- as if nothing happened last night. What a champ.

Favorite blanket: "Blue Snowflake"

Favorite TV show today (it changes often): Jake and the Neverland Pirates

(Plays with the figurines while watching the show)

When feeling sick: Needs lots of blankets surrounding him but not on him

On the other hand, Oliver is doing great! He's as healthy as a horse and as happy as a clam. I love having him a part of my life.

5 months old

Length: 25.25 in (25th percentile)

Weight: 13.5 lbs (3rd percentile)

Head circumference: 17 in (50th percentile)

Calvin is 3!

Calvin's 3-year-old interview:

What is your favorite color? green

What is your favorite toy? cars and trucks

What is your favorite fruit? bananas

What is your favorite TV show? Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? peanut butter sandwich - no jelly

What is your favorite outfit? soccer shirt

What is your favorite game? soccer and hide and seek

What is your favorite snack? cheese crackers

What is your favorite animal? dinosaurs

What is your favorite song? foolish man and the wise man, wheels on the bus go round and round

What is your favorite book? cat in the hat

Who is your best friend? Max McKinnons and Rocky Van Vleet

What is your favorite cereal? cereal squares

What is your favorite thing to do outside? run around and ring around the rosie

What is your favorite drink? milk

What is your favorite treat? donuts

What is your favorite holiday? Halloween - eat candy and jump & slide in the jump house (Waldrip party)

What do you like to take to bed with you at night? blue snowflake blanket

What do you like to eat for breakfast? cereal 

What do you want for dinner on your birthday? spaghetti

What do you want to be when you grow up? Dad

Lake Almanor 2014

Lake Almanor is a magical place. It took away matters from mundane day-to-day life and made me feel tranquil and rejuvenated. Somehow this place figured out how to slow time. We could relax, enjoy each others company, and not have a care in the world about anything else except shooting the breeze with the neighbors -- which happened to be multiple cabins full of extended family.

The Arrival

With a truck bed full of beach gear, personal bags, and lots of FOOD -- we arrive at our cabin and get settled. We anxiously wait for our familial neighbors to drive in from many states. As we meet up, there's always something new to share: a missionary returning home, a newly wed spouse coming for the first time, and even new babies to introduce to the family. We are all genuinely excited to see each other.

Sabbath Day

I loved waking up to the sunrise filtering through the forest trees. As I'd get ready for church, the LDS hymn "For the Beauty of the Earth" would come to mind. Lake Almanor is truly a beautiful scenery and it reminded me how beautiful our world is. 

Starting off vacation with a day to observe the Sabbath was perfect. I loved having the opportunity to spiritually express gratitude and ponder about Jesus Christ amongst many loved ones.

To close off Sunday, all the cousins gathered together for a friendly game of Butts-Up. The parents pulled up chairs around the game to watch and help take care of babies -- thanks!!

This was Calvin's first time being able to join in on the fun -- with Daddy's help, of course :)

Time to Play

There is so much to do at Lake Almanor! Beach, swimming, playground, tennis, soccer, pickle ball, shuffle board, bocci ball, boating, wakeboarding, tubing, relaxing, tanning, reading, etc. You can always find something fun to do at Lake Almanor.

Each morning we walked down and set up camp at our favorite spot on the beach.

Calvin enjoyed all the adventures Almanor had to offer.

He especially had fun playing with his (2nd) cousins in the sand...

...and out in the water.

Calvin also loved visiting the clubhouse to get a delicious treat (at least once).

Family Dinners
Each night, the Green Clan gathered at one of the cabins for dinner. This was a great time to relax, eat some good food and enjoy each others company. 

Except one night we had Adults Night Out: where the younger cousins helped babysit while adults had a night to themselves. This night was so fun! It's always full of laughter and hilarious stories. Hanging out with these guys is never long enough.

Piñata Night

This is definitely a highlight of the week. This year, Calvin finally got the hang of it. And he was pretty good!

Becca, however, tried to figure out how not to damage the bat. Fail.

Calvin liked to help Mom whack the piñata...

...and Dad's, too! Unfortunately, Cal was quite confused and disappointed when the piñata broke and the fun was all done.

Boating

This is our favorite activity at Almanor. We love going out on the water with Uncle Mike. He offers to take whoever wants to go out on the boat to play or to enjoy the scenery. With a family our size, he is literally out driving the boat all day. Uncle Mike has been my driver as I've learned how to wakeboard. I'm so grateful for his patience, kindness, and encouragement as I figured out how to get up on the water and enjoy the ride. Thanks Mike!

This year, however, I was 22 weeks pregnant. So instead of wakeboarding, I was the official photographer. Here are some of my favorite shots:

Jake attempting to jump the wake.

Tyler doing flips and tricks.

Davis looking like a stud.

And Libby falling with style.

Since I couldn't wakeboard, Uncle Mike offered to take me out on a slow tube ride. I'm glad I could do something fun out on the lake. Calvin, however, was not having fun going slow.

So I hopped off and let them go real fast. Calvin loved it! He had the time of his life!

Charlie's Birthday

Charlie was lucky to have his birthday fall on Almanor week! So we surprised him with a birthday party out on a pontoon boat. We spent the day barbecuing, eating birthday cake, swimming in the middle of the lake, reading books, and napping. The day was absolutely perfect.

Calvin refused to go out in the water. The only way we could get him out there was by luring him with a bag of chips...

...and a ball.

Calvin loves hanging out with is Aunties :)

Here's the birthday boy! Calvin is already eyeing the "chwoklate cake."

This kid loves chocolate. Just like his grandpa.

I love capturing moments of Jake being a great Dad :) He's so good with Cal.

*sigh* It was so peaceful and relaxing out in the middle of the lake. We wanted to stay out there forever.

Happy Birthday, Charlie!! Hope it was a good one!

Headed Home

This dreaded day is ignored until the last minute. I hate leaving paradise, but reality is inevitable. This year was especially sad because the annual tradition of the infamous Lake Almanor has come to a close. I am so grateful and honored that I could be a part of the Lake Almanor tradition that Grandma and Grandpa Green began 25 years ago. 

Even though we're not visiting Lake Almanor next year, I have a feeling we'll be back. Lake Almanor has been a significant part of our lives and it will always have a special place in our hearts.

Calvin's Potty Training Adventures

I was sooo nervous to start potty training Calvin. Why? I guess I thought it would be a huge fight between parent and child to get him to do it. So I prepped myself with supplies before we started:

books about going potty in the toilet

a little toilet just for Cal

a box of CapriSun juice

stickers

m&m's

and a handmade chart

A week or two before we started potty training, I read him books about going potty in the toilet to help prep his mind for the idea of trying to go on the toilet. I looked up amazon reviews about which books are the best for potty training boys these days. These were the top three books: 

I loved The Potty Book for Boys by Alyssa Satin Capucilli. It goes through the whole experience of wearing diapers, trying to go in the potty, having accidents, and picking out underwear at the store. I especially like how it talks about feelings and that it's okay to have accidents as long as you keep trying to go in the potty. 

Calvin loved the book Even Firefighters go the Potty by Wendy Wax and Naomi Wax. It goes through different characters (fireman, policeman, baseball player, doctor, astronaut, etc.) showing what activity they are busy doing. They all take a break from what their doing to go to the potty. On each page there is a flap designed like a bathroom door that Cal can open and see the character in the bathroom. 

With both of those books combined, I think it helped Calvin understand the step-by-step process of going potty as well as the importance of taking a pause in whatever your doing to make sure you go to the potty when you feel like you have to go. 

The third book, Pirate Potty by Samantha Berger wasn't that impressive to me or Calvin. The setting and wording was in pirate lingo which made it fun but unrelatable for Calvin. I wouldn't recommend it.

POTTY TRAINING TIME!!!

Once all the diapers were used and gone out of the house, we started potty training the next day. I planned it that way so I didn't have the temptation of reverting back to diapers if it was going poorly. When Calvin woke up I told him, "Oh no Calvin! All the diapers are gone!! No more diapers. Where are you going to go pee?" He looked at me with an adorable concerned face, took a moment to think and said, "Hmmm...potty!" YES! I was so glad he came to that conclusion on his own. I showed him his little potty that he could use. I explained to him that each time he goes pee in the potty he would get a sticker and an m&m. Cal was really excited about that. So I gave him as many CapriSun juices as he wanted (so he could feel the urge to pee more frequently) and kept his bum naked (so he didn't have to worry about pulling clothes down yet...just focus on getting to the potty in time). 

Calvin did great! Day 1 and 2 were learning experiences, but overall he got the hang of it. 

Calvin was excited about his new potty. He wanted to sit on it and read his potty books :)
Initially, I kept the potty out in the main kitchen/family room area so that he could visually see where he had to go and he could get to it quickly. 

We made sure he went to the potty before he went to bed hoping to encourage him not to pee while he slept. But he still wore "pull-ups" at night just in case.

I noticed he was having stage fright about going #2 in his potty. So I thought watching a movie while sitting there would help him. Nope! He just watched a movie.

After a week of keeping the potty in the main kitchen/family room area, he was ready to move his potty to his bathroom. He liked the idea of having his own space and being able to help out with the clean up.

In this picture below, Calvin is telling me to take a picture because he's a "big boy." I was so proud, he went straight to the potty when he woke up. But he had to bring his comfort items: Snowflake and Pillow.

Lately, since he's so good about telling us that he needs to go potty NOW. Thanks to Dad, he's even mastered going pee on a tree when toilets aren't available.

I'm so grateful Calvin was so excited and ready to be potty trained :) That made my life a lot easier. Thanks kid!