turtle catching and a quick beach jaunt

the best part about our neighborhood is all the woods for exploring.

because of this, there is lots of wildlife.

you know,

turtles,

blue herons,

baby deer,

rabid foxes.

we don't discriminate,  we like them all.

but we certainly enjoy the pond in our backyard. 

we can wake up and watch the geese, herons, and turtles

and a certain someone

wakes up every morning

asking to go fishing.

because i don't take the fish off the hook, i prefer a little turtle catching.

all you need is some bread and a big net.

 here is a little guy we found.

we brought him home for a little while to play with.

 and here is a big guy.

 this picture is totally unrelated, but hanna spends a lot of time putting bandaids on.

 on sunday we decided to wake up early and head to wrightsville beach.

the drive went smoothly.

it was unseasonable cold in the morning

but the view was pretty amazing.

and have i mentioned that my kids were made for the beach.

they love it.

 unfortuntately, minutes after we got there, ada complained of not feeling well.

her situation took a turn for the worse

and now she is home from school with strep throat.

and just for memories sake,

i sure hope her very gray front tooth falls out soon.

she and elias were wrestling and fell off a bed together.

and now,

she has a big, gray front tooth.

good thing she still has her baby teeth,

but i am ready for it to go!

a picture by elias, proof that my big, pregnant self was there!

a soccer round up.

with a sigh of relief,

i can officially say that soccer season has ended.  

maybe that is because we have had a FULL week of the vomit virus

strike our house again.

i am exhausted.

seriously exhausted

(as if i wasn't already).

i have mentioned before that i never dreamed of being a "soccer mom"

but alas, my day has come.

i really do love watching them play.

but soccer, three days a week is a lot!

elias goes out there full speed.

he pushes and shoves and scores goals like it is his only job.

then he quits

or takes his shirt off and flies around like superman.

ada has gotten so much better this season.

she loves to run and tries harder than everyone else on the field.

she is thoughtful and passes.

always following the rules.

and now, thankfully, we move on to pool season.

swim team every day

for two months!

lucky for me, it is four doors away!

a quick game of catch up

ada has been taking an acting class on monday afternoons since christmas.

the past two weekends she has been in performances

of 101 dalmations.

it was so cute.

and she was FANTASTIC!

not a wee bit nervous

and full of expression.

i am so thankful to have this program close by.

in our neighborhood to be precise!

 can you find my puppy?

after the performance all the kids got flowers/treats from their families.

then we headed out to lunch.

 a simple picture can purely define their personalities!

 basketball is the game of choice around here (even though it is still soccer season-and will be forever since it keeps raining!)  elias heads outside multiple times a day to shoot hoops.

and he is getting pretty good!

 hanna and luke are best friends.

 our yard has been in full bloom.

our vegetable garden is planted.

the grass is lush and green.

and this handsome fellow celebrated his birthday.

i love how excited the kids get when it is one of our birthdays!

presents and cards aplenty

and homemade chocolate cake

per his request.

adventures in potty training

i must start with the disclaimer.

*i am no potty training genius.*

i will not claim to be.

but i seriously think my kids are.

i have heard horror stories,

you know,

the people who are constantly cleaning messy undies and pants,

changing beds,

sitting in their homes for days on end while their kid sits on the toilet with a sippy cup.

somehow the rahbars are talented at this stuff.

i must also preface this with a little story.

i did attempt potty training a a few months ago.

hanna was doing great with the potty

but then i would find her carrying her feces around the house,

either in her potty

or in her hand

to deposit in her toy kitchen sink (?)

i cleaned alot of carpet spots

and gagged repeatedly

until i took the potties away and declared failure.

but with all of hanna's potty talk

i decided she was ready and tried again.

one accident.

i am not kidding people.

one.

she is a rock star.

she doesn't even tell me when she needs to go,

she just goes to the potty.

how awesome is that?

and during nap time?

no accidents.

i must say that my kids are not scared of the great outdoors

so peeing (and even pooping) in the mulch is extremely exciting.

and i am not opposed to it

especially if it saves their pants.

now,

for three months,

i do not have to change diapers.

three whole months,

that is the longest period ever in the past seven years!

before i start all over again.

yay me!