hi im matthew and i can use the potty now

hi im matthew and i can use the potty now today was my first day of potty training which was fun mommy was letting me drink juice this morning i like juice it was delicious and i liked it and it made me pee ten times in ninety minutes

we kept running to my new elmo toy potty with a big boy flusher over and over again at first it was hard but i got the hang of it mommy and daddy were so proud of me for only needing four pairs of thomas the engine underwear today because i only peed through three of them that they gave me a new candy called gummy bears they were tasty

by the end of the day i got really good at going potty i learned how to say time to go potty and not pee in my undies and hold my hose down so i dont pee everywhere i only did that several times

the best part of the day was mommy and daddy gave me a new train for pooping in my elmo potty toy the train's name is victor i like victor i wonder which toy i will poop in tomorrow i hope they give me another victor for it or maybe chuggington i think i will poop in my doctor kit bag

Our Little Helper

It's been a snowpocalypse of a winter, snowing 11 of the past 12 weekends. Last week I was pulling out of the driveway to go to work and got stuck in the snow. E observed this and came to help me after telling Thea and Matthew that she was going to go help Daddy. Minutes later, there was Matthew, wearing his boots (which he had never put on by himself before) and holding his coat. He had come outside saying "Help Daddy, help Daddy." So while the job was done, we all went out for one more family shovel. 

Tonight at dinner, E said she needed to take Matthew to get his feet measured because it had been a couple of months and that's how quickly he grows out of his shoes. M went running off and then came back to us with his shoe and a tape measure. 

During snuggle-time, Matthew found a couple of Thea's toys. E told him she needed to wash them so he should not put them down on the nightstand. He instead took them to the sink and washed them. 

What a wonderful little boy he is. 

On the Move

For the last couple of weeks, Thea has been trying her best to get herself around - scooting, pivoting in a circle on her stomach, and literally hopping while sitting.  Last week, Thea was so close to crawling I was literally begging her to come to me:

 

I'm considering a job in motivational speaking.   

On Friday, to get to a goldfish cracker, she made the move:

Another Milestone

Bean has been caught in action:

Might not look like much but this is the first time I have seen her go from laying to sitting in her bed. It sure is a milestone because when your baby is in a horizontal position when you take her out of bed, for oh 10 months, it is quite a surprise to see her sitting! Once Matthew was able to do this he always did it. Until he could stand. 

Back to Health

In 2004, after graduating from IU and starting work in Milwaukee, for many reasons, Mike decided to stop taking a medication that he had been taking since he was a child. One of the side effects of the medication was decreased appetite. So for the first time in his post-9 year old life, Mike had to learn how to eat. Sounds funny but it was true. Most of us have had years and years to learn about balance and moderation. He was simply accustomed to eating 1 legit meal a day (that could consist of a LOT of macoroni and cheese or hot dogs). Learning how to eat, combined with working tremendously long hours led to weight gain. And when he quit that job and went back to school there was a great couch to be laid on. And when that couch moved to a new suburb it was still quite comfortable. And then we had a newborn. And then we had another one. And then...okay you get it now right? There is always a reason not to do what is so difficult. It can be overwhelming, feel unattainable, uncomfortable, and be exhausting both physically and emotionally. 

In August, Mike and I discussed buying Insanity, a vigorous workout program. I was reluctant. We had already bought an elliptical and take  enough time to do that. I was skeptic that now we were all of a sudden gonna find that time and motivation that had been missing. But after a few talks, I agreed to it. It seemed legit and I could hear the need in my husbands voice. 

He completed the Insanity workout. Sixty days of intense workouts ranging from 40-60 minutes. And after completing Insanity, we ordered T25 and he will have completed that program in 2 days. 

He ate well balanced, nutritious foods almost all of the time (he once ordered a salad with balsamic from McDonalds, I brought home a Big Mac because get serious). He made good choices when we ate out or sometimes we didn't go out. He showed such discipline and self-control. He's very good at the what you want now vs. what you want in the long run thing and I so admire him for that. 

He went to the doctor today after losing all of the weight he needed to in order to return to a healthy place for him. His blood pressure went from normal but borderline high into the low range of normal. We are awaiting the results regarding his cholesterol but I'm confident in what we will hear back (one of the reasons he needed to lose weight was because this was high and the way to reduce it is to return to a healthy weight). His doctor congratulated and praised him for his good work. 

He will tell you that his motivation was to return to health for his family. His family is most grateful. With health you can add years to your life. I can adamantly speak for all of us that we will take ALL of the years we can get and will still long for more. Thank you Mike for working so hard and so consistently to provide this for us. You are the provider you want and need to be to this family.