And Onto The Newest Challenge

Yesterday we made a trip to Target. At Target, we purchased some Berry Fruit Squeezers. Some individually packed Annie's snack crackers. A bin. Some wrapping paper. A pack of party sized play-doh. 2 packs of training pants...and LBB picked out...

His very own potty chair.

The list I wrote up there, minus the training pants and potty chair, are all for his rewards bucket. We wrapped up some Hot Wheels we had been saving for his 3rd birthday. Dropped in the snacks, playdoh, and cars, and now he has handy little rewards bin just waiting for the first time he goes potty.

I can't believe my LBB is in the realms of this whole potty-training thing! What is mindboggling is that just 2 weeks ago he was showing a few signs, but I didn't think he was this close. And then, on Wednesday, he walked up to me, gave me some indications that he had to go potty, but in a moment of "duh-momminess", I didn't pay attention. :( Not even 5 minutes later he walked by me with a aroma that only indicates one thing. Boy, did I kick myself for not listening to him and getting him to his little bitty potty chair! But, all things turn out good, and the next day Dear Sweet Hubby, LBB, and I were at Target getting prepared for the newest stage in our family life.

Today, while he didn't go potty in the toilet, LBB did spend some quality time in the potty and is learning when his body is telling him that he needs to go. He did go in the bathroom...but not in the toilet. :) But, he is excited about it. Being very patient (which is not his normal state of being). And is trying so hard. We're going to take it at his speed and not push him, but at the same time we don't want to be too relaxed and not make it a priority since he is showing readiness signs.

So, wish us luck in this new journey! We are keeping our fingers crossed that things go smoothly, but also have prepared ourselves for the worst of the worst if that happens (but I'm really hoping it doesn't! LOL!)

I Lost My Toddler Manual

Because if I could find it, I'm sure I could find where the pause button is on the 21 1/2 month old model. ;)

LBB had a wonderful day today. He had his first Toddler Storytime at the library, and I was a little nervous, but he did sooooo well. :) He had a few Toddler moments, but thank goodness it is a storytime full of toddlers, because he was not the only one. He sat quietly for a while, which is usually a good sign with LBB because that means he is listening and absorbing. Towards the end he started opening up and stood right by the librarian (remember how much we love her?!?!?) and just watched as she read. Then he wandered off and played with the feltboard. After storytime he brought the felt pieces to the librarian and said bye-bye. So precious.

And...he made a new friend! Two of his friends from Baby Storytime were there (they had moved up a session earlier) so he got to spend some time with them, but when we walked in, he was immediately enthralled with this little baby he saw. And then...

...he met the baby's sister. :)

LBB and this little gal hit it off pretty quickly. She called for him to sit by her in the fire truck before storytime. In storytime they played with the felt board together. She held his arm as they listened to the story and even gave him a hug when she left and said bye. :) Ah...the cuteness of toddlers.

In other LBB news today, he's been an absolute monkey. He climbed up onto the arm of the couch. Stepped up onto the 1 foot tall bench in the firetruck seat at the library. Climbed over his arm chair like it was a mountain. And then, while I was cutting up an apple for him, I turned around to see him SITTING on the top of the kitchen cabinet. AGH! This boy is definitely intent on trying to see how far he can scare me!

But most amazing of the whole night was bedtime. Normally bedtime is pretty drawn out, and depends on perfect timing of tv, storytime, snack, and all that stuff. But tonight...LBB was playing with cars, and we cleaned up so we could do a little letter work before bed. We did a page of his letter workbook, and then got his pj's on. And while normally we would go and watch a little tv while he ate a few crackers or a piece of bread, tonight he crawled into bed. Handed us a bedtime story. And sat quietly (well, with a little bit of talking to his GI Joe) while we read the story, his Bible story, and his Elmo book. Then we said prayer, tucked him and his stuffed friends in, and voila. He was ready for bed. Craziness. Sometimes it is super evident that he is growing up.

I really need to find that Toddler manual...even if I could pause him growing for just a little bit. :)

Elmo, Elmo, Elmo

We are having an Elmo overload in this household. We did LBB's room in Sesame Street because he really showed in interest in all things Sesame Street, especially Elmo. We did his first birthday party in Sesame Street...and it was all cute and adorable.

Until it became an obsession. :)

I always said I wouldn't be one of those moms that got annoyed with what their kids watched, no matter how annoying it may be. That was, of course, before I had LBB. And while I show a great deal of patience for all things Elmo, there are some days that it becomes a tad too much. (And I always make sure I don't let on that I'm getting tired of hearing about Elmo...I know it is a really big thing in his Toddler life, and I want to make sure he knows I am interested in what matters to him.)

Like today...we got LBB all ready for bed, and had his bedtime story placed in his bedtime bin (we put his pj's, diaper, slippers, water sippy, and bedtime story in a bin.) And as we started reading "Hello Calico", he immediately said "Elmo." Sigh. We bought him a pop up Sesame Street book a while back, and it is easily one of his favorite books...but it would be nice to read him another book once in a while. :) So, we snuck in the rest of "Hello Calico" and then read him his Sesame Street book. Then we had to say good night to all of the Sesame Street decals above his bed. We had to put BOTH of his Elmo's in bed with him, Bearemy, and his little fox (there really is no room left for LBB, but he manages. Haha.) And of course, we couldn't leave the room until we followed the normal bedtime routine, with an added set of two kisses for Elmo 1 and Elmo 2.

Sigh. See what I mean? Elmo overload. This coming spring we plan on switching LBB to a twin sized bed, and along with that, a new room theme (I make his quilt, so I want to make a quilt that is going to grow with him...and the Sesame Street theme is not being transferred over!) So, until then, I'm going to dream about redoing his room...and while I know I'll still have to read him his Sesame Street book each night, along with the obligatory Elmo goodnight-kisses, I won't have to say goodnight to decals on the wall. :)

And just as a sidenote, I'm not complaining at all. :) I can't help but smile when he has us be involved with all things Elmo...it is so sweet, but there are definitely moments when I can't wait to have a little less Sesame Street consuming our lives.

There was a clue in yesterday's post...

...about what we were doing today.

Did you catch it? It was in LBB's theme/letter book bin, and was the very first book in the stack.

That's right...that little "Dappled Apples" book was a hint that we were studying apples. And what better way to finish up our Letter A week than with a trip to the apple orchard?

We went down to the apple orchard with my parents and sister, and it was perfect weather for it! We picked apples. Went on a wagon ride. LBB got a little toddler sized pumpkin for his room. We walked through the scarecrow display. Climbed up a hay pile. Watched a camel. Played on a a wooden ship. And LBB even got to listen to some harvest themed children's music...which he danced like crazy to in the wooden ship. :)

Granted, there were a few toddler moments...but he did much much better than I had expected and even sat in the pull behind wagon for a little bit before he got impatient enough to climb out. He had a blast running through the apple orchard, and was very curious when he saw his PaPa climb up a tree to get to some apples that were out of reach. I have a feeling my little monkey was taking notes. Haha!

He did feel bad for the apples that had fallen off the tree, and tried repeatedly to put them (rotting apples and all) into our bag. And if an apple fell while we were picking another one...oh boy. Then he really started fussing. He is such a caring little guy...it melts my heart! :)

So, without further ado, here are some pictures from our day out...enjoy, and hope that you are able to be enjoying some beautiful Autumn-like weather in your neck of the woods!

P.S. Have I mentioned that Autumn is my FAVORITE season?!?!? Hands down...and the crazy thing is that I loved this time of year before we had LBB, but now that we have LBB, I love it even more! :)

And Finally...

...pictures of LBB's preschool area! Before you read any farther though, make sure you read THIS post first, mostly because I didn't plan tonight's posts very well. Haha!

And since I really didn't plan very well...the pictures are kind of in the opposite order I would have liked. However, my computer doesn't seem to like me much tonight, so I'm just going to take what I can get. :)

First picture is LBB's Work Tray. We haven't technically started LBB's preschool yet, but everyday is a learning day, and right now we are working on beginning letters. LBB knows A pretty down pat, but we still did the Letter A this week...and are moving onto B next week. His tray for this week includes everything that has to do with A. :) And he loves it, which means that at least 3 times a day I see an apple roll across the floor as he pulls the tray off the shelf.

LBB's reading area. We originally had that adorable Pottery Barn Kids basket in his room, but his room has since been rearranged and things were moved out here. It's been a rearranging kind of week. The rocking chair was made by my grandpa for me when I was little, and I passed it down to LBB...with a new cushion that is the cutest little book print on it.

And LBB's preschool book bin that is over by his desk. We put all the books that have to do with both the letter of the week and theme of the week in this bin. :) It makes me happy because it reminds me of when the library does their theme shelves.

And LBB's chalkboard/dry erase easel...he loves this thing. And you can tell he is definitely from our gene pool because he is already showing an affinity for the chalkboard side. Dear Sweet Hubby and I both love chalkboards. We make sure we put a the day up each day, and usually draw a picture for him with the word. He loves going over and trying to draw it himself. So cute.

Some of his tactile toys! He already loves this corner.

His book corner, along with his bulletin board, more tactile toys, and my old childhood bear who is in "charge" of watching over the preschool area.

The main part of our preschool room. We split the living room in half to make a special spot just for it, and I love how it turned out! And I love the alphabet puzzle mat...it really makes the room complete. On top of the main shelf unit we have 3 bins that hold LBB's chalk, clay, and letter blocks. It also holds his work tray and more tactile tools. I also love the little poster we picked up at the local teacher's supply store that is about colors. :) And the bulletin board is a work in progress...I ran out of staples.

And last, but definitely not least, LBB's desk area with his Letter of the Week learning board, puzzle shelf, theme book bin, and magnetic boards. He loves his little desk, and it is just perfect for him!

Thanks for stopping by for a little tour of LBB's preschool room. We are so blessed that we were able to make space for it in our tiny little apartment...but hopefully that is an encouragement. If we can utilize this little area of our 1000 square foot apartment with NO extra rooms, then I hope it helps anyone that is looking for ideas to utilize every inch of their space, as well! It's a challenge sometimes, but all in all, it's so well organized for our family that it stays very clean, especially considering that it's intended for a very active and rambunctious toddler!

First Off, A Desk Redo...

I think I may have mentioned that we found a super cute desk at a flea market for LBB. One problem though...it was a tad girly. :) But, it was only $5 for the desk and two chairs. Here it is: (and please pardon the terrible picture...it was late when I painted it.)

And, after about 15 minutes or so of painting, here is the finished product!

I LOVE it!!!! It looks so nice there in his little preschool area, and really fits his "Little Boy Blue" nickname. :) And of course, there has to be Cat #2 making an appearance in the photo. :) Now...off to finally post his preschool area! I've been promising for a while...it's about time that I actually posted it!

Our Productive Day

We had a busy day today! Dear Sweet Hubby had a short day at work, and LBB and I managed to get even more done than we normally do...how does that work?

We labeled all his bins in his room, and got the bins ready for preschool to start. We cleaned up and went through some of his toys (although I only snuck out 2 little things.) And most exciting as far as the home aspect today went, I pulled out all of his Autumn books and put them on his reading shelves in his room.

I made a Blackberry Buckle...which we've yet to try, but it looks delicious. Put dinner in the slowcooker, although we ended up grabbing a bite to eat because we went to my sister's cross country meet, which she completely rocked. :)

I love Autumn days. :) Pure bliss. And you know what I love even more...that adorable smiling face that is smiling at you from this blog post.

Coolest. Kid. Ever. :) (But I'm biased, haha!)