Potty Training

Hunter has been potty trained since September (a prerequisite for preschool). There is an occasional accident these days, but for the most part, Hunter has mastered the potty. He stills sleeps in a pull-up, which I have been told is developmentally appropriate until age 6, and he prefers to sit versus stand when it comes to peeing, but generally speaking he is potty trained. Hunter is even able to pull his pants up and down on his own. I had been feeling relatively pleased at how easily we went through the potty training process, but today reminded me we aren't quite finished. During Hunter's "quite time", which is the hour he plays in room in the afternoon if he is not going to nap, there was an "accident". Hunter actually played really well on his own today, without shouting for me and telling me he was finished. When the timer went off, and I went to retrieve Hunter from his room, he said, proudly, "I peed in a fire hat." Sure enough, in his fire hat, was little puddle of pee, but on the bright side, not only did his mishap make an entertaining story, but I also think he peed standing up.

Hunter & Soccer

So Hunter started playing soccer though the Malibu-Palisades YMCA a month ago. He had been requesting to go to "soccer camp" for the last year because at one of the parks we go to in Santa Monica there is a soccer camp that he loves to watch. We told him he had to be 3 to go to soccer camp. Hunter's third birthday came and he didn't forget, and for months he has been saying, "I'm 3, I can go to soccer camp now". Wanting to follow through on our promise, we signed him up for "Iddy Biddy" soccer at the Y. When I bought him shorts, shin guards, and socks, he insisted on putting on his new gear over his pajamas so that he could sleep in it. Of course, when he got his jersey the following Saturday, he wanted to wear his full uniform 24/7. The jersey is one of the ugliest I've seen, but he loves it. His team named themselves The Yellow Hornets. They practice for a half hour on Saturday, followed by a thirty minute game. While Hunter loves the idea of soccer, his attention for the actual practice drills and game are lacking. Bottom line, he loves to wear the uniform and just be there. When we asked him why he didn't try to get the ball during the game, he responded, "I didn't want to take the ball away from my friend- it wasn't my turn." The parents of the four-year-old kids on the team assured me that next year Hunter will understand the game more and actually play. For now, we are just happy that Hunter is happy he gets to "go to soccer camp."

Christmas in May!

Last weekend was Fire Service Day at our neighborhood fire station in the Pacific Palisades. Hunter looks forward to this day almost as much as Christmas and his birthday. The kids had a blast climbing all over the firetrucks!

Xavier Practices His Words

Trying out our new Flip Video...

Soccer Hunter

Good Times in the Desert

A few weekends ago we went to Palm Desert to visit Doyl's parents and meet up with our good friends from Seattle, who were in town on vacation. Here is the link to pictures from our weekend.

Petting Zoo

We love that we live a 10 minute walk from the Brentwood Country Mart. Every Sunday they host a small petting zoo and pony rides. We are usually at church on Sunday mornings, but the kids both had runny noses today, so we went for a walk instead, and stopped at the Country Mart to pet the animals. This was Xavier's first experience actually petting the animals and he was in heaven - loudly baaing, and maaing along with the sheep and goats. Hunter really enjoyed feeding the animals. It was a great morning.