Category Archives: montser

It’s Only Fall in Oregon…

Not Winter in the Antarctic…sheesh kid!

{And yes, the heat was on in the car}

Meet Our Official Jr. Fire Fighter

Last week when I dropped Ry off at daycare I noticed a flyer in her cubby {can I just say I think it’s so cute that she has a cubby}. Anyway, I grabbed it on the way out. It was a flyer promoting a fall festival at the local elementary school. Then, on the way home from work that night I saw a sign outside the local fire station promoting an open house the same day as the festival. They both looked like fun so when we got home I told Andy about it and we put it on the calendar for Saturday.

Saturday rolled around and after an early, lazy morning we headed out the door to the little fire station. It’s a small, country fire station manned with 2 trucks and 4 volunteer fire fighters. They were super nice, however, Ry was having nothing to do with it. I was finally able to convince her to climb up in the fire truck with me…

{She was not impressed.}

The super nice volunteer firefighters told us that the main station “downtown” {I’m sorry, but “downtown” in a town of 3,000 is just silly to me} was having an open house there as well and there would be a lot more to check out. Since it’s just down the road from the school, we figured we’d go check it out too.

The school’s fall festival was a little less than amazing, but Ry got a balloon ladybug bracelet and she got her face painted! I thought it was kind of funny she chose a soccer ball, but that’s what she wanted. We munched on a caramel apple and a wanna-be elephant ear while listening to the “live band” sing old country covers.

After the face painting, we headed down the street to the main fire station. Here she was a little more outgoing. She had fun checking out the helicopter and antique fire engines. She insisted on climbing up the ladder, oddly enough, they wouldn’t let her. I have no idea why. She also insisted on doing the obstacle course making her the youngest Official Junior Firefighter in Rural Lane County. {Ok, I made that up, I don’t know that she’s the youngest.} She got a badge and hat and certificate and everything!

{Don’t be judging the outfit…other than the shirt, she chose it}

{Sportin’ the soccer ball quite nicely}

{I’m still trying to figure out why they wouldn’t let her climb the ladder}

{She carried a doll to safety, crawled through a tube and learned how to stop, drop & roll. Offical Jr. Firefighter material for sure!}

{Oh yes, Ry…I did catch that smile. Don’t act like you didn’t like it!}

{We only had about a 5 mile drive home.}

Road Trip Notes: I should have known better.

2 Replies

This wasn’t my first rodeo. We’ve done mini road trips before. Although, I’m not sure a 2.5 hour drive constitutes a road trip. I still should have known better. All the rest of the longer than 45 minute drives we’ve gone on I’ve been all sorts of prepared. What was so different this time? Next time I mention we’re heading out on the road with a dog and a toddler, slap me upside the head, punch me in the throat, stab me with a fork…do something to get my attention and remind me to read this post before I leave!!!

First and possibly most important: be sure to pack copious amounts of alcohol to enjoy once you’ve reached your final destination…especially when traveling in groups.

Pack your tp because when your newly potty trained 2 year old has to go? She has to GO! And will refuse to pee in the diaper you have on her just in case. And you will end up pulling of on the side of a 2 lane highway hoping a semi truck doesn’t drive by and blow you over all so your kid can pop a squat and empty her wee little bladder.

You silly, silly mom…that travel doodle you have in the back seat of your car really isn’t going to do much for entertainment in a car ride that lasts longer than 35 minutes. Pack books. Lots of them. Possibly some color wonder markers too.

Plain and simple: You’re dog is a jerk. The minute you start talking about another overnight trip you plan on taking him on, he will start thinking of ways to get out of it. And he will be on the hunt for a skunk to frolic in the field with. I mean, why shouldn’t he? It worked for him last time. And let’s face it, no matter how lovey your wolf-dog is, he is inherently a stubborn jerk. That’s just how he rolls. And keep in mind, that even if he doesn’t get sprayed directly, he still kinda stinks. Oh yea, and for future reference, skunk smell is really brought out on a wet dog. If ya don’t know, now ya know.

Just know that all those plans you have made? Go right out the window you have rolled down to get rid of the skunk smell.

Now, all the snarky negativity aside, the trip was great and I just need to remember that just because things don’t go my way, everything will still work out (because they did), we’ll be good (because they were).

I need a weekend from my weekend.

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This last weekend was the busiest, most exhausting and most fulfilling weekend I have had in quite a while. And, really, I feel kind of bad saying that considering the fact that Andy was gone the entire time. I am not even kidding when I say that it’s Wednesday and I am still recovering. So much went on this weekend that I need seperate posts for each of our adventures! So, get ready for some major blog reading this week…especially since I was pretty neglectful of the Little Miss blog this last week.

First up: Our Adventures in Potty Training -OR- How on Earth did that just happen!?

Yes, my friends. You read that right. And, if you are my friend on Facebook you already saw my post regarding said potty training. I don’t want to jynx it, and I know there will be setbacks, but I think we just potty trained Rylee in 2 days! (ok, mostly 2 days)

I had a really aggressive goal that Rylee would NOT be returning to daycare this Fall wearing diapers. However, since I was not the one home with her all Summer, I didn’t have much control over the potty training…or lack thereof. Andy’s view was: She’ll do it when she’s ready. My view? Let’s lose the diapers already! By mid-August, I was getting pretty antsy and to be totally honest, sick of changing the kid’s stinky diapers. I decided to take matters into my own hands. Ry and I went to Target, bought some Dora undies and some potty treats (AKA: Peanut Butter M&M’s). On the weekends, when we were home, I would have Ry in her undies and set the timer for every 20 minutes. When the timer went off, we hit the head. That tactic didn’t really work out so hot, but it got the ball rolling. Ry was pooping in the toilet more than she was in her diaper…score 1 for the mama!

This last weekend Ry woke up with a bad cough and a stuffy nose {side note: I now do too. What can I say, she’s a giver}. We decided not to go to the family BBQ we had been planning on all week. Bummer for me, but she didn’t know the difference. Instead, we just hung out around the house. Since we were home, I decided to put her in undies. She was diggin’ it. She had a couple of accidents, but all was well.

Sunday, after we ran a couple of errands in the morning, I put her in undies again. By the afternoon when Auntie Kristen was over, we were outside picking pears when Auntie asked Ry if she had to go potty and Ry replied with a YES! So we ran in the house and she went. This is when things really started to click. I don’t know what happened, it’s just like she all of a sudden got it. She didn’t have an accident all.day.long.

Monday was pretty much gravy. She knew when she had to go and she’d let us know. She did have one accident when she was putting money in her piggy bank. She ran to the bathroom as soon as it happened yelling “I’m leaking!”. Then, that night after I put her in a diaper and her PJ’s on she decided she had to go. Instead of going in her diaper, she ran to the bathroom, pulled off her diaper and sat on the toilet…all by herself! SUCCESS!

Tuesday morning, within seconds of her waking up (still in a diaper) she declared she had to go! And yes, I gave her peanut butter M&M potty treats at 6:45 AM. We sent her to daycare in undies…of course back with 3 extra pair of undies and pants. I am happy to report upon picking her up she was STILL in the pants that I dropped her off in. That’s right ladies and gentlemen…no accidents!

POTTY TREATS FOR EVERYONE!