Finally, a little potty action!

Okay, I am casting my vote: Girls are easier to potty train than boys. Boys, however, do have the advantage of being able to potty anywhere, anytime. But in my house, Catherine was much easier to potty train.


Coleman (2.5 years old, today) finally got a little something in the potty Monday but we've missed most times since. As you can see below, he loved his sucker reward, but not enough to tinkle for more. It is nice not having the stress of potty training as I did with Lincoln. I no longer put my "Success" as a mother on how fast I get a kid potty trained.... Maybe I should knock on wood- watch it take 6 months to potty train Coleman. :)

Tullahoma Girls Weekend

Last weekend I met Susie Hardaway Smith, Evelyn Allen Derriso, Heather Hopwood Renninger, and Kathy Waterman Powell in Birmingham, AL at the Ross Bridge Resort. One of the four, not me, thought of the idea to get away from the fams and just enjoy the company of each other. In past years, we tried to meet in Ttown, with kids. Meaningful conversation was difficult and time was limited. So this weekend was perfect. We treated ourselves to massages or pedicures and caught up. We really missed our friends Gretchen, in Africa, and Pauline, who was directing(?) a play. Hopefully next year, we will all be able to meet too. I can't help think of the song some of us sang together as Girl Scouts "Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other's gold." I thank God for these girls!

After Storm Fun

Last night we had a huge electrical thunderstorm- the worst of the summer. Lightning flashed by the second and thunder rattled the house. It was so fun to watch b/c it was just an awesome storm- no warnings attached. One of the best parts was the amount of rain that came down in such a short time.

Ever since I was a little girl rain, puddles, and waterflow have been pretty cool to me. Most of our spring/summer fun centered around our ditch and around our bridge after big rains, and it still does for the grandkids today.

It just so happens that Brad and I have a huge ditch, lined thick with those BIG white rocks, that runs the width of our front yard. When it rains, all the rain water from the neighborhood rushes down it. Last night, Brad, Catherine (surprisingly, she was the only one who woke up) and I witnessed the most water ever. We had a waterfall cascading down our hill at the top of the ditch, water rushing over our driveway, the field next to us covered- it was awesome. Just to show you how weird we are- Brad got into his truck and shined his lights on the water just so I could document it on video. Did I mention that it was midnight?? That's so funny to admit!!

What we didn't see last night, was the 47 feet of BIG, white rock that was washed away from its original location in the middle of the ditch down into a nice big pile down at the bottom. 47 FEET of rocks that Brad will get to put back. Yes, I measured it- have I mentioned that I like details, sometimes too much? And measuring the strip of mud was somehow a teaching moment for the kids this morning- using the tape measure and force/motion/the dangers of rushing water, etc.....

Unfortunately, our ditch doesn't hold water for us to wade in, but just across the street a field does! Here are the pics from the after storm fun!

Lincoln and Catherine in the big field

Now with Coleman

Follow the leader!

Lincoln says "Let's make a dam!"

Sloshing home- our driveway's the first.

This makes me laugh- Coleman can't resist hopping when holding hands.

Emptying the water. Time for a nice, warm bath!

Happy 4th Birthday Catherine

All About Catherine:

Height-36 inches

Weight- 28 lbs :)

Favorite Number- 4

Favorite Color- pink and purple

Favorite Song- Rudolph (what??)

Favorite Story- Pinkalicious

Favorite Activities- Playing in her room, puzzles, swinging, gymnastics/soccer, dress-up, playing with her brothers, children's worship and class

My description- Independent, Imaginative, Thoughtful, Quiet, Love Language- Gifts, asks for forgiveness rather than permission, seems to use numbers to help memorize things, persistent

How we celebrated:

We celebrated yesterday with her friends.

Catherine surrounded by her friends.

Granddaddy and Grandmommy came to visit Catherine. They took her to the restaurant of her choosing for lunch: Chick-Fil-A. Catherine also asked Grandmommy to put her down for her nap and Catherine actually fell asleep (come back every day, Grandmommy!).

Today, I took her cake to her Mother's Day Out class. It is hard to see but this is one of my favorite Catherine expressions.

Tonight, we let her choose where we ate. She chose El Tapitio (thankfully it was not McDonalds). She did not like the hat or the birthday song! Coleman was the only one who enjoyed it. Even Lincoln curled up timidly next to me.


After El Tap, we went by Gran and Papa's house. They took a time-out from yard sale prep to have a cake ready for her, and more importantly to Catherine, gifts. :)

Lincoln, Catherine, and Coleman at Papa and Gran's- their favorite destination.