Oh the life of potty training!

Not sure if other moms can chime in here, but the past year of potty training Sara has been an adventure! I am so jealous when I hear other mom's stories of potty training. 

"Girls are so easy!" 

"All I did was put you in panties. You thought they were so pretty and didn't want to mess them up that you were pretty much potty trained then."

"Elmo and a potty chart worked for my boys."

We started trying to introduce Sara to the potty when she was about 2. Zoe could already go to the potty, so why couldn't Sara? That got a little bit of her interest. We didn't push at all, but just tried to slowly encourage her to be a "big girl" and try out the potty. 

We then tried potty chart, stickers, Dora potty seat (thanks to Ms. Frances), surprises, cute panties, etc. etc. etc. All of this was working for a little while. Sara got to where she would potty at school. Then Sam came along! And one glorious morning while Mommy was feeding Sam, Sara and Daddy had a little potty run in which resulted in Sara not going at all for a full 24 hours. Then stopping all together.

A year later and lots of prayers and drama, I can officially say Sara Ellen is using the potty! And she is so happy about it. You should see her get so excited. And then announce it to her entire dance class. (Of course I really wanted to as well.)

What did it take you ask? Sara Ellen wanting to do it because her new friends at school go to the potty. With her teacher's and friends encouragement Sara is almost 100% potty trained in about a week. 

I better go ahead and start saying my prayers for patience with Sam!

Sara Ellen turns 3!

It was always strange as a child to listen to your family recount the day you were born. And of course you have no idea what they are talking about, but eventually come to learn the stories as your own.

A little annoying then, but I totally understand now. I remember perfectly the day my sweet Sara Ellen was born 3 years ago. From the induction, to labor pains, to c-section...it was all so worth it and barely a memory to compare to the first time I saw her sweet face! I never knew you could be instantly attached forever to a life. While I will probably annoy Sara in the future with my stories and memories I hope she always knows how special and loved she is!

For her 3rd birthday we celebrated at A Play Place with great friends and family DORA style! It took a lot of explaining of when her birthday would finally get here...Scarlett's birthday comes first, then Alyssa's birthday, then Daddy's birthday...then Sara's birthday!

And who's comes next? "Jesus' birthday!" Can't wait to see you all there. And just ask David she insists on candles and a cake.

BEWARE...Sam is mobile!

You heard it here first!

Samuel Bennett West is now crawling. And not just a little scooting type crawling. He's been doing that for a couple of weeks. This is full out "getting it":

Yay Sam! Now don't do it anymore....please. Just stay the stationary baby for a little longer.

Sara & AWANA

About a month ago we went to church on Wednesday night and went to drop the kids off. Much to our surprise Sara ended up getting moved up from the 2 year old class to AWANA. She is officially a Cubbie!

Made me a little nervous because I wasn't sure she could hang with the other big kids. However the first night she quoted her bible verse perfectly: "God loved us and sent his Son." Miss Julie was so excited she took her around to say it for everyone. 

Since then she has continued to learn her bible verses every week and just received her Lamb Patch. 

So proud of Sara!

Sam's getting BIG!

Sweet Sam turned 6 months old last week. I cannot believe he is getting so big...And when I say big I mean literally BIG!

At his check-up he weighed 21 lbs. Doesn't sound that big until I looked up the healthy range for a 6 month old: 13 to 21.1 lbs. Does that mean he is almost unhealthy? Not sure, but the doctor said he was doing well. 

 

Not only did Sam hit an important age, but I am also making him grow up a little too soon. Sam received his first haircut and first BAD haircut all at the same time. See picture below:

Yes it is very crooked! Unfortunately it's not just the picture. 

Sara also introduced Sam to the sandbox this week. Of course the first thing he does is take his wet hands and sticks them in the sand. Then puts both sandy hands in his mouth! Oh well. Has to eat dirt sometime. Might as well start them early. 

I thank God every day for my beautiful children. I am very blessed!

Saranda

Sara Ellen's Big Donation

Since Mommy has been traveling a lot lately Daddy has become an expert (or noticed lack of expertise) on fixing Sara Ellen's hair. Ms. Frances knows all too well since she has been the hair dresser while I am out of town. I have to admit when a 2 year old has hair all the way down her back it can get to be a little much to handle. Been contemplating the issue for several weeks now...

The practical side of me says "cut it". The sentimental and mother side of me says "how could you cut that gorgeous hair". Especially since not many people are blessed with her hair. The whole situation made me a little sad because I thought back to MaMa. My grandmother never once cut her hair in her entire life. She always said a woman's hair is her glory. 

But if a woman has long hair, it is her glory. For long hair is given to her as a covering. 1 Corinthians 11:15

I thought a lot about this and in the end the practical side won. We cut Sara Ellen's hair on Saturday. But the glory still came through because we mailed her additional 8 inches of hair to Locks of Love today. Hopefully what God blessed Sara Ellen with will bring joy to another child.




 
By the way...she totally chickened out during the haircut. This is a picture of her right before they broke out the scissors. But the sucker after it was over made it so worth it!

Making Time for What Matters Most

Conversation at my house a few weeks ago...

"Sara Ellen, can you please bring me that?" 

"No Mommy. I am too busy right now."

When does a 2 year old become too busy? I know that kids watch everything you do as well as listen to what you say. Just not sure I am ready for it! The first time Sara said this to me it was a total wake up call. And yes she has said it many times since then.

After this conversation it made me stop and think why am I so busy all the time? Am I paying attention to the things that really matter? 10 years from now will I remember that one errand I just had to get done today? Or that email I just had to send? What are my priorities?

This was just the first step in God's plan for me to start paying attention to my priorities. Last week I read an article in Awake (Jehovah's Witness magazine) that discussed this very thing.

Consider what Jesus foretold about our hurried times. He said that as this system nears its end and God's righteous new world draws near, his disciples would be busy. Doing what? Preaching this good news of God's kingdom. Jesus also said that the majority of the people would be too busy to listen. They would be preoccupied with the ordinary matters of life. He added that those who are too busy to take note of the message would suffer destruction. Matthew 24:14, 37-39; Luke 17:28;-30

I have never really stopped to read the brochures the Jehovah's witnesses put under the doors, but again all part of God's plan. Another reminder that I should have my priorities in line: my relationship with Jesus Christ, my husband, my kids, helping others...And make sure that they are in that order!

Confession...this is a huge struggle for me right now. Next time you see me running around crazy remind me of what matters most and to quit being so BUSY! 

Saranda 

Riley

Feel like a terrible mother right now. A previous post gave an introduction to the West family. But I left out a very important person...


Riley, aka, Ri, good girl, first child


David and I decided about 3 years after we were married that it might be a good idea to start thinking about a family. First step...get a dog! We bought dog books, researched, researched, researched. Still didn't have a clue what kind of dog we wanted. 

Somehow came across a website of a breeder close to Decatur, AL. She had the cutest pictures of a recent litter of morkies (maltese/yorkshire terrier mix). I convinced David that we needed to just go have a look. 


Since that day he now knows to never take me to "look" at something. Because I cannot say no. Especially to puppies! So we drove back to Birmingham with Riley in a clothes basket. Read a baby name book on the way and decided on Riley. No correlation to the governor. Just liked the fact it was an Irish name. 


She has been a blessing and best friend ever since. 


Favorite memories:


-Peed in David's lap the second day we had her. I thought it was hilarious!

-Ate a party size bag of M & M's and ruined our carpet in the process of realizing dogs can't eat chocolate. 


-Fall is her favorite season. She can barrel through a pile of leaves like it's not even there.

Love you Riley!


Saranda

Meet the West Family

Wish we had a theme song like the Cosby's or Full House, but we're not that special. So here's our intro...

David, aka Daddy, Pigg
Just hit the big 30 last year.  (Give him a hard time next time you see him) Enjoys BBQ competitions, cooking, eating, Food Network...see the theme. Civil Engineer by trade. Can quote Star Wars and Lord of the Rings!

Saranda, aka Mommy
Always 3 years younger than Daddy! Competing for top dork in the family with her favorite hobbies being genealogy research, Hallmark movies, sewing and work.


Sara Ellen, aka Big Sister, Sara
Turns the big 3 on October 29th. Loves being a big sister, Dora, anything princess, reading books, going to school and church. 


Samuel Bennett, aka Sam, Buddy, Bubba
Latest addition to the family. Joined the crew on March 22nd. Could definitely compete for the happiest baby ever award. Just ask anyone! Well as long as you feed him every 3 hours on the dot.