potty training, Kosty style

Have I mentioned Kosty is strong willed?
Have I mentioned Kosty is extremely resistant to change?
Have I mentioned Kosty is the most stubborn child on the planet?
Have I mentioned that {given the above traits}, he is not taking to potty training?

Ok, good. As if its surprising any of you.

Current status:

• Peeing in the potty. Only his special potty, and he demands we bring it everywhere we go.
• He screams and runs if you even attempt to try to show him the big potty.
• An accident here and there.
• You better not be anywhere near him when he goes, or he will quickly ask you to exit.
• If he has to poop, he will ask for a diaper.
• When we don't give him one, he poops in his underwear, or holds it. Ouch.
• I am tired of throwing away brand new underwear. And forget about trying to clean it out. Barf. Gag. Sick. Ewww.
  
• He does not want any praise, high fives, stickers, or treats.
• He wants it to be low-key and embarrassment free.
• He does not respond to bribes. (even my "I will take you to Target and you can pick out anything you want" bribe)
  

Any pointers?

{p.s. did I mention I've never seen anything cuter than his teeny tiny buns in whitey tighties}?

Disneyland!

Disneyland = the best day of my life.

{ok, one of them}

I may have been a little crazy excited, I may have had a grin ear to ear, I may have run/skipped all the way up to the gates. Disneyland most definitely has not lost its magic! Jer's family came along for the fun too. Jer's mom scored rooms at the Crowne Plaza for $55 per night from Priceline.com, and we got park hopper tickets from a guy we found on Ebay, for $49 per person! a steal!

after some minor packing adjustments, we were on our way. (Brayden's suitcase: 99% stuffed animals, 1% clothes).

Brayden jamming to the Tap Tap game song (he knows every word)

After Red Robin and a dip in the spa, we got ready for bed!

7:30 am wake up. Disneyland is waiting, and only Kosty would refuse to get dressed due to his disapproval of the shirts I packed for him. Dang kid!!

Mickey and I having a moment in the hotel lobby

it was pouring all the way to Disneyland!! we were a little nervous. The boys were just as excited to ride the shuttle with no seat belts as they were to enter the Happiest Place on Earth.

me and Cede

Kosty studied the Disneyland map all the way there. Then he hopped on Zach's shoulders and studied some more!

as soon as we got there, the rain had completely stopped and NEVER came back!! What a miracle!

can you believe Disneyland does not have double strollers!? even Sea World does! the boys decided to make their own.

(these pictures are totally out of order but for my sanity's sake, oh well!)
my prince and I in front of the castle (too bad its too dark to see it!)
the teacups!!

Kosty was dying to meet Jesse and Woody but of course was too shy to even look!
Monster's Inc. (inside CA Adventure) was such a fun ride, it was Kosty's favorite!! We rode it twice, while the brave ones rode the Tower of Terror.

Kosty and I hit up the Jungle Cruise and It's a Small World while the big kids rode Indiana Jones.



Autotopia was one of their favorites too!

The rockets with Bompa

What a day! It was an absolute blast. We were hoping for just walking onto the lines like so many people had told us we would, but we did wait about 20-30 minutes at most for about 3 of the most popular rides. Not bad. I will never go there in the summer again! Brayden insisted we ride Space Mountain as the "grand finale." What a good way to end the night. It was a total blast and it was his favorite ride! He even raised his hands in the air and yelled! I remember it took me many, many years of my dad coaxing me before I finally worked up the guts. I watched Brayden in line, and was shocked at how relaxed he was! I was a nervous wreck the first time I rode it! He was even dying to go on Splash Mountain and was bummed that it was too cold for him to get wet. Where this kid gets his nerve, I don't know. He surprised me. Kosty's favorite was Monster's Inc. and Buzz Lightyear. Both the kids thought the scariest ride was the Matterhorn, which was one of my favorites as a kid. Oh, and Brayden wasn't a fan of the Haunted Mansion either. He closed his eyes, looked down, and had his ears pinched shut for the entire ride. Pretty funny.We had plenty of popcorn and churros and both boys were on their best behavior, even Kosty, another miracle. I am so grateful we finally pulled it together. And I already want to go back. Disneyland, I miss you!

Day Two: Huntington

We stopped in Huntington before we headed home. I didn't get very many pictures but they just had to go on a separate post because that Disneyland post was just getting outta hand! Geesh!

Kosty getting mad at Cede, demanding, "Stop taking pit-sures of me!!!!!!!!!!!" (I actually love it when he puts his hands on hips like this, such big attitude, such tiny hips!)

the only thing better than Disneyland is a Wahoo's burrito! I only get this burrito once a year and I crave it everyday until then!! Go ahead and enlarge it and feel your mouth water! Best burrito ever.

After lunch we went into the stores, the candy shop, and headed home. I would like to thank Apple gadgets for the constant entertainment you provided for my kids on the 14 hour drive there and back. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I'm going to Disneyland!

Tomorrow we are leaving and I can hardly wait!! Stomach flu and Jer's monthly migraine are over and done, just in time for our trip, thank you, thank you. We've been talking about going in February for 2 years now because its supposedly the shortest lines, and I want to enjoy Disneyland, not the lines! This will be Kosty's first trip, and its just such perfect timing with our kids and their ages right now. Ponchos and umbrellas are packed and ready for the rainy forecast. I don't care how much I get rained on, nothing is stopping me from the Happiest Place on Earth!!!

the red dress

Oh, Kosty. Kosty, Kosty, Kosty, Kosty. I don't know what else to say...he fills my days with joy and pain. He knows what he likes and won't back down. But neither will I. That's the problem. And that's why his heart belongs to Daddy. He is extremely particular when it comes to his clothes and when it comes to MINE. He likes me in my gray sweats and white v-neck when I wake up. Lucky for him, that's what I wear 99% of the time. He likes me in full pj's or fully clothed and nothing in between. He gets pretty ticked if I come out with a towel on my head or with wet hair. When I get dressed and see him for the first time, he gives me a once over and instantly lets me know if its working for him or not. He HATES hats on me. He hates RVCA, Freedom, any tees. Unless I wear a cardigan on top. Then he likes. But he hates my mustard cardigan. I could go on and on.

This day, it started out with a simple request. Please wear the red dress. I said no.

and ended like this:Me refusing to back down + him refusing to back down = disaster. It is kinda sad now looking at him holding on to that red dress for dear life with such agony on his face. But I had to prove a point! Besides, his wife will thank me some day. Or not. Eeek! His poor wife.

I almost let him down

Brayden got the stomach flu last Thursday night. He was so sad that he would be missing "Hollywood" Day at school on Friday. He asked me to please lay out his Hollywood outfit, and I had to tell him he would be missing it, as well as the Book Fair, as well as Happy Meal Day. Boo. Sad day for him to miss. Anyway, I told him that I would pick him up on Monday and take him to the Book Fair right after school. But, when 3:00 rolled around, I realized Kosty was dozing off on the couch for a much needed catnap, we had no pants for him to wear due to potty training accidents all day, I didn't have any checks which I thought were required, and my sister had just popped over for a visit. I thought to myself, maybe he won't remember, and if he does I'll just tell him it wasn't going to work that day. Sure enough, he walked in the door and asked immediately about the Book Fair. I told him all the reasons why we should go another day. Then he ran to his backpack and pulled out an envelope with my name on it. I opened it up and this is what it said,

"Hi Mama.
How are you?
I miss you.
I can't wait for the Book Fair.
xoxoxoxo,
Brayden."

And with that, I called the school, they didn't need a check, threw some pajama pants on Kosty, and we flew out the door. Oh, what a disappointment I almost was.

perserverence

I had to teach Brayden this word, he certainly earned it. Last week, he reported that his teacher said that nobody can move up to first grade if they didn't know how to tie their shoes, and so far only 5 kids in the class knew how. Oh boy. The pressure was on. He was bound and determined, and he finally got it. I had no idea how much patience would be tried. Not to mention frustration on both ends, but me of course hiding mine as to not escalate his. Poor little guy, it is so hard to teach that coordination. The night before, we were at Grandma's, and I was trying to teach him, it wasn't working, so Grandma gave it a try, as did Grandpa, as did Aunt Cede. I never knew there were so many ways to tie shoes! I've seen 5 different ways now! It turns out Daddy had the magic touch. His special way, and his teaching style was all Brayden needed. Kosty was standing near and instructing me how to be a cheerleader. He said, "ok, now say YAAAAAYYYY Bubba!!" Brayden requested a can of Sprite as his reward. HALLELUJAH!! We can all unload the bricks off our backs now, it feels so good!aww, with little brother looking on, the very moment he realized he had just done it. Can't you feel the joy?

classic Brayden. such a goofball. {FYI: he reminds me of a teenager when he drinks soda from a can}.

be still my heart

After already reading to Brayden, and tucking him into bed, I walked by his room about 15 minutes later and noticed the door was shut. He never wants his door closed, so I opened it and found this...He was so completely engrossed in the BFG, that he didn't even acknowledge my camera snapping presence. Oh oh oh. My little Kindergarten bookworm, I adore him. And his love of reading.

creepy mama

I am totally hesitant to post this, but it has to be done. I don't want you all to think I am sick and twisted... but eh, who cares. This is a memory that has to be shared. I don't know who is more twisted actually, me or my boys!

So, a looong time ago, Jeremy and I rented "The Stepford Wives." For those of you who haven't seen it, basically its about a bunch of perfect wives that turn out to be programmed robots, designed by a man who wanted the "perfect" wife. At the end of the movie, after his plan falls apart, the robot wives come at him looking pretty creepy, wide, glazed over eyes, heads tilted to the side, huge creepy grins...you have to see it to know what I'm talking about. Just picture CREEPY! So after watching it, I thought it would be funny to reenact the scene to Jer, and pretend I was the creepy robot wife coming at him. Well, it freaked him out, and it was hysterical. Every once in a while I would flash a little "Stepford smile" at him, just for kicks. Cause I'm a good wife that way.

One time Brayden saw me do it & he was hooked. He named it "Creepy Mama," and started asking more and more for me to do it. At first, I tried to avoid it, I mean it goes against everything a Mother should be! Frightening your child, making them run from you! Worrying that YOU will become their bad dream! But he begged, and pleaded, and got Kosty sold on the idea as well. They both know that Creepy Mama only comes out at night, so lately almost every night after dinner, they both begin the begging, "DO CREEPY MAMA!" Brayden even requests, "OK, now walk towards me slowly." Then the giggles, screams, running and hiding all over the house begins. Brayden's favorite is when creepy mama follows them into the bath, they dash in & throw the curtain closed, only to open it and see me RIGHT THERE at eye level. BOO! It even freaks ME out. Oh, man, I have to admit its a little bit fun to see them squeal.

Sweet dreams now!
xoxo,
Creepy Mama

(now please erase this image from your mind before its burned in there. Plus I know you will want to laugh at me the next time you see me. Please and thanks).

milestone

A couple weeks ago Kosty was bound and determined to get dressed by himself. From his pullup to his backpack, he surely did just that. He had a little set back when his shirt was backwards, and as much as I tried to help him, he wouldn't let me so much as come near him. Again, the stubbornness and determination of that boy astounds me. He took it off, and put it on the right way. Not one bit of help from Mommy.


It reminded me of when Brayden was his exact age, and got dressed for the first time by himself. I just had to find the picture.

boys on wheels

this was a late afternoon, I was tired and needed to start dinner. I wanted to give them every excuse I could, but I'm so thankful I didn't. I would have missed this sweet memory. It was beautiful outside, and Brayden wanted to practice rollerblading. Kosty wouldn't let him do so, however without holding his hand the whole time. "Bubba, wait! I have to hewp you!" Then he grabbed his hand and didn't let go. It actually messed Brayden up quite a bit, but the sweet big brother carried on and humored him anyway. This is one of my favorite memories so far.