The Maynard Family Blog

Bye-Bye Teddy (sniff, sniff)

2010-09-27T17:08:00.003-05:00

Today is a sad, sad day in the Maynard house. Today as we drove home I had the boys' windows down and as we approached Americus, Teddy was dropped out the window. After many times of telling them not to put anything out the window, my eyes were not very quick today and I missed that Teddy had been thrown out the window. Drew told me shortly after it happened, but I have no idea where Teddy was exactly thrown out. I have to admit, I think I am much more upset about this than I thought I would ever be. I think for me it is a realization that my baby is not a baby anymore. Sniff...sniff.

(Tyler holding Teddy at Christmas 2008)

I remember when I first laid eyes on Teddy, August 10, 2007. Aunt Tami and Uncle Adam had him attached to a couple of balloons for Tyler the day he was born. Teddy wasn't an attachment for Tyler at first, but shortly after Tyler lost his pacifier in the Wal-Mart parking lot, I guess he started to cling to him. He brought Teddy everywhere and when he was missing before bed or naptime, it was known, he wouldn't go to sleep without him. Teddy sort of became a part of the family.

When he goes to bed every night Teddy would be tucked in under his blankets and Tyler would pat the top of his head as he slowly drifted to sleep. First thing when he would wake up, he had Teddy in his hands to greet me in the morning. Even though Teddy stunk (didn't matter how many times I washed that bear, he still stunk), he was Tyler's best friend.

Bill even tried to drive real slow along 25 on the way home to see if he could find Teddy, but he did not find him. Tyler won't even talk about it he is so upset. It might be a long night. Poor little guy! Teddy, we love you and you will be greatly missed!

Diaper Free, Could It Be?!!!

2010-07-05T08:36:00.005-05:00

After a few months of debating whether or not to start potty-training, I just tried it a few weeks ago. I was at the point where I was done changing diapers! I thought to myself, he is almost three and he has no interest in it. It really is hard to not take it personally as the mother. I thought I was doing something wrong. Is he going to be in diapers forever? The weekend came and gone with no success. I wanted to totally give up. Tyler completely showed no interest. I was in total frustration! During my utter despair, Bill encouraged me to continue. Thanks babe! I don't give you enough credit, but you do deserve it this time. By the next week, I was on vacation, so I tried it again the last two days. To my surprise he peed twice on the potty!! I was in debate over to keep him in a diaper or just put him in underwear. I decided to just dump the diapers and put him in underwear. He had no accidents the first day back to daycare. By the second day he was telling Stacie when he had to go potty! Now we are completely diaper free, except for pooping. I try to have a pull-up on me when I know he might have to go poop. I learned this from being at the Frozen Custard for lunch with my dad and Kathy and he pooped and I had nothing on me!! Napkins just make it worse!! The joys of parenting right there!! I am very excited that my little boy is almost potty-trained. Such a relief! I must say, it is easier once they are actually ready!

In just typing this this morning we had our first pooping on the potty experience!! Yay Tyler! I am so excited to be diaper free! Of course, the savings in diapers will probably go to our food budget to feed these growing boys! HA!

Mommy........

2010-05-08T06:29:00.010-05:00

That is the word I have heard a lot lately. Taking care of two sick boys is not what I would say as fun, but to hear the words "Mommy, hold me.", is something I realize I take for granted. I have to admit sometimes I get frustrated and just want to get away from it all. Coming up on mother's day this weekend, I have realized how blessed I really am. Of course, at 1am when I was cleaning up a trail of throw-up all the way to the bathroom, I was not thinking this way. Thanks mom for holding my hair back when I was throwing up and taking care of me when I was sick! Being a mom is definitely not a glamorous job and we get overlooked a lot for all that we do, but I wouldn't trade it for anything! It is the best to be able to raise Drew and Tyler. They always have something cute to say that keeps a smile on my face! I love it!! Drew said to me last night when he was in bed with me. "Mommy my belly hurts." I said, "You probably have gas pains, just let it out." He said, "But mommy, I'm not supposed to fart in front of girls." It was so sweet how serious he was. :) I love him!! :)

Being a mother is such a blessing and for some it doesn't come as easily. I know that my sister, Tami, will be celebrating her first Mother's day this weekend and I could not be happier for her! All that she has been through, what a day to celebrate the three little miracles and one awesome mom that endured almost seven months on bed-rest. What a sacrifice to make! Love you Tami!

Happy Mother's Day!!

Finally a New Blog!

2010-03-16T17:57:00.005-05:00

I can't believe it has been 3 months since I have last blogged. Here I am blogging at 7pm, the boys need a bath, laundry needs folded and the kitchen cleaned...who says I have to have a perfect house right?!! On top of that Bill is gone this week. Let's just say I am in survival mode already and it is day two of Bill being gone. Peeling Tyler off the cement porch this morning to get him into daycare was not the best part of my day! It never fails though, when I come and pick them up, Tyler is the first to run to me and scream "MOMMEEEEEE!!" I love it!

Tonight I just sold the boys' baby bedding to a lady at work. A part of me is sad, but another part is excited to start a new chapter in life! We are thinking we are done at two, but who knows we go back and forth all the time!! LOL! After seeing little Chase it almost makes me want to have a third, but then I wake up to reality when my 2 1/2 year old isn't even showing signs of wanting to be potty trained! I thought Drew was strong willed, but now I know what a strong willed child is after having Tyler. I really need to buy that book "Raising a Strong Willed Child" by Dobson. Anyone have any words of wisdom on raising boys...my ears are open!!

Ending on a great note,I have a brand new nephew, Chase Robert Axline! He is sooo adorable! Congratulations Carrie and Sam! Can't wait to see him again!

Don't forget to wear green tomorrow! Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

I Pledge Allegiance...

2009-12-06T13:29:00.004-06:00

Last week driving the boys into daycare Drew surprised me one morning. He saw an American Flag on top of one of the building's downtown and said, "Mommy look it's Amewica!!" He was so excited and I said, "Yes that is the American Flag. Drew do you know the Pledge of Allegiance?" And to my great surprise he said, "Yes, mommy." I then asked him to say it. He then starts out, "I pwedge awegiance to the fwag of the United States of Amewica." He says the entire thing as I am crying! I was shocked to find out he knew that. It is amazing how much he is learning in preschool, just two days a week and even his first semester! Time sure is flying raising him. Yesterday it seems I was holding him in my arms. Sniff...sniff...

I just had to share that my almost 4 year old knows the Pledge of Allegiance!!! The next great President...the possibilities are endless!!

He Is Jealous For Me!

2009-11-20T20:54:00.004-06:00

I am so excited for Thanksgiving this year! We have a lot to be thankful for this year. It seems this year has really been a character building and defining year for me and for Bill and for our marriage. When Bill lost his job I thought, "God what did we do wrong, or why are you punishing us?" But it wasn't that at all. In the 7 months Bill was laid off, it was like the Lord was stripping us of all our trust in man and showing us that He is the one to trust in. Trust in man can only take us so far, it is Faith and Trust in the Lord that makes us strong. The Lord took care of us the 7 months Bill was laid off! We didn't have health insurance and our boys were not sick once in 7 months that he was laid off. For two kids, that is a complete miracle! The Lord provided a roof over our head and food for us to eat! I am so thankful for Richard and Patsy for opening their home to us for 5 months. The Lord even opened the door for my old job back! Even though, I would rather stay home, I am so thankful that He has provided this job for me! I am thankful Bill has found a job with American Family Insurance! We thought the door was shut on this job and the Lord opened it back up again for him. I am rejoicing this year that I have learned more and more about the Lord's love and faithfulness and I am so "THANKFUL" for His many blessings upon our life!

I love this song from the "David Crowder Band"

He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us oh
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us oh,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.

And we are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If his grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
And heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…

That He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.

Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.

I'm Surviving!

2009-10-07T19:06:00.002-05:00

It is day 4 and I am still alive! The week Bill leaves for training Tyler, of course, gets sick with a fever on Monday. I used all my sick time on Monday, and I had my wonderful mom and mom-n-law watch Tyler for me on Tuesday. When I took him to the Dr. on Monday, they had to swab him to check for strep. That was horrible trying to hold him down while he was saying "No, mommy, I'm scared!" It broke my heart to hear him say that. I didn't even think he knew that word yet. Luckily it is just a viral cold and he doesn't have strep or H1N1! YAY!

On a brighter note, we now have awesome water pressure! This lady that lives down the street had someone put a new gauge on the water tank. I guess they barely had any water pressure and with a quick fix like that, we should have done this years ago!! It is great to be able to fill up a bathtub in less than 5 minutes now!

Last week we took Tyler to Riley Hospital to get an x-ray on his hip and we are so excited that the Dr. said he is completely fine! PTL! That was a huge sigh of relief. We should of had the x-ray done at the beginning of this year, but then Bill got laid off and without insurance we decided to wait. I realized how blessed we are to have two healthy boys. It was so hard sitting in the waiting room and seeing all of these little children in wheelchairs. What some of these parents go through day after day after day for their children just breaks my heart. Oh, and what really made me upset for these families, you have to pay to park!!! I could not believe that at a children's hospital we had to pay to park. Realizing that some of these parents have to go there multiple times a month, it just stunned me! I thought Riley Hospital was to be one of the greatest hospitals and to ask the patients to pay to park is just horrible I think.

To end on a good note, I got my drapery rod that I ordered from Target this week! I can now hang up my drapes in the living room! YAY!! This is something I will not attempt on my own, I will wait for Bill. I am not Mrs. Fixit that's for sure!

Home...What a Sweet Sound!

2009-09-05T13:54:00.008-05:00

I never did think we would be back in our old home once we moved almost two years ago! It feels great to be at home again! I haven't blogged forever, and now I finally have a moment to do so!! I am still sifting through some boxes of decor and TOYS! It is nuts, I think my boys now own more things than Bill and I combined!! For some reason that just doesn't sound right! I am not wanting to get rid of some old baby toys just yet, just in case we might have another one a couple years down the road. Storage is a big issue, I am thinking we need to get Drew a bed frame now so I can put things under his bed!! We might just get bunk beds for the boys. Tyler will be ready for a big boy bed in about 6 months or so. I am not sure I am ready for it yet. He wakes up about 6 to 6:30 am still, and just thinking of him being able to get out of bed on his own, freaks me out!! He is so funny though, his new thing to do now, is stick his fingers in his ears and scream!! He is so much fun! :)

Drew started preschool a few weeks ago. He really likes it a lot! He is still crying, but the minutes are getting less as the weeks go on. He is already starting to trace letters! I am so glad we have him at a Christian preschool, he comes home and when he is just playing on his own, I hear him start singing songs he has learned at school. It really is a sweet sound! He has such a sweet and tender spirit about him.

The boys will start daycare at the end of this month. I think it is harder on me more than anyone. Tyler will be just fine, he is very social, but I am more concerned with Drew. There has been so much transition in his life, that one more thing might be too much for him. I am praying that he adjusts quickly and smoothly. :)

The next month to month and a half will also be tough for Bill and I. He starts his training in Columbus, Ohio, in October. He will be training through the week and home on the weekends. If you think of us, please be praying for our family during the 5-7 weeks he is in training. It will be tough, but I know the Lord will give us His grace and strength to get through it.

On a side note, I have just downloaded all of this summer's photos to Picasa and you can see all the fun things we did this summer! Now that we have internet to our computer it is easier to download all my pictures on Picasa! :)

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho It's Off to Work I Go...

2009-07-25T09:39:00.004-05:00

The time has come where I must hang up my apron, my favorite pair of pj's, and lose my nice tan I have acquired this summer and go back to work. It has been a great almost 2 years of staying home with my boys. I have enjoyed every moment of seeing them grow. Some accomplishments that have happened since staying home with the boys. I have potty-trained Drew (that was a major YIPPEE!!) I have finished Drew's first year of his baby scrapbook. I haven't started Ty's yet, but I am hoping to get back into my old group soon! Let's see, oh, I think I have mastered the Chocolate Chip cookie recipe. LOL! Atleast when I was in Iowa, I made the best chocolate chip cookies! Bill has even said my baking has gotten better. I will miss my baking time with the boys when it rains outside. Sniff...sniff...

Moving from this chapter in my life will not be an easy one, but I am looking forward to what the Lord has in store for us next. Tyler will be going to daycare for the first time since he was born. He did go to Sherry's house for 4 weeks before we moved to Iowa, but that wasn't nearly a daycare. I called it his baby spa! She pampered all day long, he smelt like baby oil when I picked him up. :) For some reason I am having an issue about leaving Tyler. I thought I would be more upset about Drew starting preschool, but leaving Tyler at daycare seems like it will be harder. I know Tyler will be just fine, he is my social boy anyway, he will fit right in. I will miss them like crazy, but I will enjoy every moment of our time together on the weekends.

I start back to work August 3rd. I have taken my old job back at the good ol' Courthouse. Believe it or not, they took me back after I turned down their offer in April. It was definitely a timing thing. I was able to enjoy this summer with the boys and Bill was able to get his insurance license done! The exciting thing is we will be moving back into our old house sometime in August. The way things have started to unfold is just a part of His plan and makes me realize how much He is in control!

One Bad Haircut!

2009-06-27T09:40:00.005-05:00

Bill got his regular haircut at Christina and Company "TRAINING" Center yesterday. I tell him he is crazy to keep going there, well now he will not be going back. It was bound to happen, he got a terrible haircut! I think the girl was going for a military cut and need I say more. The pictures speak for themselves. So Bill ended up having to shave his whole head! I actually think he looks pretty handsome! :) Enjoy the picts!

Summer and Homemade Ice Cream!

2009-05-26T13:49:00.004-05:00

I never really liked summer all that much until I was able to actually stay at home and enjoy it. I guess working full time I never really could enjoy it the way it was meant to be enjoyed! Playing outside, taking walks, watering plants (Patsy's plants), and even eating outside! Now don't get me wrong, I still like the pleasant feeling of air conditioning, but summers are meant to be enjoyed outside! This summer is much more enjoyable since Tyler is able to walk and they play somewhat well together. I think the tough part right now is just trying to pin Tyler down to put sunscreen on him!

Tonight I think we are going to have fun making homemade strawberry ice cream! I have waited a long time for this night. We were going to make it for mother's day, but it was too cold, so I think I can make this my birthday gift! A nice big bowl of Strawberry Ice Cream! YUMMY! Enjoy summer everyone!

Private Blog!

2009-05-12T13:38:00.002-05:00

I am getting on board setting my Picasa and blog to private also! It is pretty freaky knowing that someone is tracking all of our Picasa accounts. Basically, someone we don't know from halfway around the world tracking the growing up of my children and knowing about our lives is pretty scary to me. So, I am now a private person!!!

My Boys!

2009-05-05T17:05:00.007-05:00

Drew and Tyler are quite the pair! They keep me laughing that is for sure! One night last week I went in to tell the boys one last time to be quiet and go to bed since it was after 9pm, well I must say I was in there laughing with them for about 5 minutes. Drew as making farting sounds with his mouth and Tyler was doing the same! They were both rolling laughing until they both had the hiccups!! It was sooo hilarious! The boys are joint at the hip. They have a love/hate relationship. Tyler just wants to be just like Drew, is that good or bad?! Tyler is starting to repeat everything Drew says and they both say, "It's fuuuunnnny!", after they do something wrong. I have no idea where they got that, but then it is sometimes hard to keep such a serious face and discipline them. Never a dull moment in our house!!

I tried to get a recent picture on here of the boys, then I found this old picture on Patsy's computer. It about made me cry remembering how young they used to be!!

I Want More of the Holy Spirit!

2009-05-02T16:48:00.002-05:00

This weekend I went to a women's retreat in Washington, Indiana. It was incredible! We stayed at the southern district AG campground, which was a beautiful place! Very clean and nice facilities!!

Anyway, I really didn't know what to expect from the weekend. I was so glad to finally be able to get away! This was the first time since I have been a stay at home mom that I have been away by myself for two days, that's 18 months!!! Way to long without a retreat!! I have to tell you I was blown away. It was so nice, because it was a smaller gathering and it was great to really connect with people.

I will give you the short version because I am expecting the boys to come home any time, and I thought I better blog about it now before I forget and I won't get a minute to reflect!

I guess this weekend I had an agenda for the Lord to speak directly to me in a certain area, but this is where the Lord just blew me away, HE had a different plan!! The special speaker was a lady named Sheri (I don't remember her last name). She was just a wonderful and mighty woman of God! She actually is from Winter Haven, FL, where my dad and Kathy live. I need to call him and tell them about their church. She and her husband are the senior pastors at a church in Florida. She shared about how much we need the Holy Spirit in our lives. Which is a message I have heard over and over again, but it really got a hold of me this weekend. It made me look at my own life and realize that I need to be more in tune to the Holy Spirit. It is so easy to just go about life and forget that the Spirit of the Lord is wanting us to take Him wherever we go. The Lord gave us the Holy Spirit to give us power and it enables us to do the things that he has called us to do. Since I came home (back to Indiana) the Lord has been bringing up past friends in my life and really laying them on my heart to pray for their salvation. Not knowing how or what the Lord wanted me to do, I got a more clear picture this weekend on how to reach one in particular. I am still processing it all, but without the Holy Spirit I wouldn't have realized how to do that on my own. The Holy Spirit wants to show me and teach me things, but He can't if I don't INCLUDE him in it! I can't do it on my own!!! I NEED the Holy Spirit EVERYDAY!!!

The weekend also was so wonderful and relaxing for me. On Friday afternoon I was able to take a walk BY MYSELF!!! I emphasize that since it is rare for me to ever go anywhere alone. I needed some alone time with the Lord. It was great to be outside in the fresh air! Though, I got off the main road and went on a little trail and then all these bugs attacked me, it was quite hilarious! I was glad I was alone so no one could see me freak out!

Another great thing about this weekend was that I was able to spend some time with Tami. It blessed me to see her worship and see her go after the Lord. I am so thankful to have a family that serves the Lord, it really is such a blessing!

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Freedom." (2 Corinthians 3:17)

Bad Economy...Bad Diapers?!!!

2009-04-18T08:26:00.005-05:00

Today I am sad to say that I am going to have to switch brands of diapers. I switched to LUVS with Tyler after he started crawling because they seemed to hold together better, even better than Pampers, I know I was shocked myself. Just this last time I went a size bigger thinking it would help at night time. It actually made it worse!!! Both the boys the last 3 nights have wet through their diapers. Just because everyone is downsizing because of the economy, do they really have to make the quality of the diaper less too. Maybe they can save on the way they package their diapers, but don't cheat the customer on the actual diaper! So all you mothers out there what kind of diapers do you use? I am a mother in desperate need of help!!! I am thinking about buying those plastic pants to put over them at night. LOL! I'm not sure Drew would be up for that!!

Moving Furniture to Vacuum?!!!

2009-03-24T12:40:00.002-05:00

Okay, I really should be packing, but this is on my brain. I try to clean my entire house once a week. Since we have been packing and moving things around, Bill asked me yesterday, "Do you ever vacuum upstairs?" I said yes!! Come to find out he was referring to behind our file cabinet. I said, well I don't move all our furniture just to vacuum. I usually move all the furniture that is easy to move, the couch, coffee tables and occasionally the recliner (heavy). So I want to know who moves all of their furniture to vacuum?

Exciting News!!

2009-03-22T16:47:00.003-05:00

I am happy to announce that Drew is finally potty trained!!!! Okay, I know that lately all I have been blogging about is his potty habits, but this means one less poopy diaper I have to change!!!! He did it all week long and then yesterday we went to the store and he picked out a new train. We are happy to add Henry to the Thomas family. It was such an exciting week. Now he is telling us when he has to go #2!!! He said to me today, "I'm so proud I went poo-poo in the potty mommy!"

The Turkey Outcome!

2009-03-20T17:53:00.007-05:00

I am happy to announce the turkey tasted wonderful! The whole process was new to me since I had never cooked one before. It really was rather simple, well, after I called my mom and asked her why the heck the neck was still in the turkey!!!! YUCK! That wasn't in my recipe. When I pulled it out I freaked out!! It was totally disgusting! Then once I found where the gizzards, heart and all the innards were, thanks to Jenny, I was on to the easy part. I lathered it in extra virgin olive oil and then covered it with sage butter outside and inside of the skin. Then I made my stuffing and put it in the turkey and put it in the oven. I must say I am very excited about the finish!! We had homemade yeast rolls, mashed potatoes, homemade stuffing and corn. What a day!!! The boys didn't eat to much of it, they wanted to eat hotdogs instead. Here are a few pictures of my turkey!

A Beautiful Day and a Thanksgiving Feast!

2009-03-18T14:50:00.002-05:00

Today is just gorgeous! The windows are open, just a small breeze blowing, and the birds are singing!!! It has been a while since I have heard a birdie chirp, you almost forget what a wonderful sound it is until you hear it again! :)

Believe it or not, I am making a Thanksgiving meal today. I am making a turkey (in the oven right now), stuffing (in the turkey), and mashed potatoes, gravy and homemade yeast rolls! Talk about exciting! I will take a picture and post it later. Hopefully it will turn out great! If not, it was a great first attempt!

In other news, Drew has now pooped on the potty 3 days in a row! Thanks for the tip Patsy, of telling him to do it all week and then get another train! He is putting a sticker on his sticker chart everyday. Today, it was so cute, we put Tyler down for a nap and he said to Tyler, "Okay, Ty I have to go poo-poo now, good night." So priceless. He is getting so funny! And Tyler is so funny too. He is saying "Owww", if we try to touch him or change his diaper he screams it out like we are hurting him! So hilarious! But, he is a smart little guy. He can now count to 10!! We were going through it today in the kitchen! A genius! Or it maybe it is normal at 18 months, not sure!!

Well, I will post a picture of my Thanksgiving meal when it is all done and let you know how it turned out!!

Welcome Emily to the Thomas and Friend Family!

2009-03-10T18:43:00.006-05:00

Yesterday it happened! Drew went up to Bill around 2pm and said, "Daddy, I have to go poo-poo." So excited, Bill took Drew to the potty and he sat on the potty and wanted the door closed to do his business and it happened...he pooped in the potty!! I never thought talking about my son's potty activity would ever be so exciting, but today I was so excited!! Drew then said, "I get my new Emily!" So off we went to Walmart and praise the Lord there was one Emily left!!! He was so excited and proud that he even told the lady at the checkout counter, "I went poo-poo, I get my new Emily." Tyler was so jealous, we had to break down and buy him a new Hot Wheel at the checkout counter, it was well worth the 97 cents!! I am praying that now he will continue to do this everyday!!

To Be a Kid Again!

2009-02-23T11:40:00.005-06:00

I just love watching the boys get all excited about little things in life that are normal occurances. I love how they look out the window each day and watch that bus go by each morning. When Monday rolls around they both are excited to see the trash man pick up our trash. And everyday we get to see the mail lady!! Or when the dryer buzzes or the microwave dings and they both say, "It's done!" The excitement they have on their faces when I am done vacuuming. Drew always says, "Mommy, you done, you put the vaccum away now!" The excitement of snack time when they get a cracker or some cheerios. I love it when lunch time rolls around and we get to sing the "Uh-oh Spaghetti Oh's" song. When we go to Walmart and they both get a sticker. Just the little things in life that put a smile on their faces! My favorite is when daddy comes home. The noise level sky rockets! Just seeing them yell "Daddy!" What a wonderful life they have, not a care in the world!

My Three Year Old!

2009-02-19T08:13:00.002-06:00

Now, I am not wanting to complain here, but what is a mother to do about getting her strong willed boy to poop on the potty?! I have done everything from bribing him with a new Gordon (which is still sitting on the bookshelf) to a big monster cookie from the cookie store. We have sat for hours on the potty, but he has made up his mind not to do it. Now, he has done it a few times, but has no interest in it whatsoever right now. He would rather poop in his diaper or the tub, last night it happened again, and not in the potty. He actually blamed last nights incident on poor Tyler, but he finally confessed it was him. He said, "I pooped mommy, it was me, I pooped." Atleast he is an honest little fella! I need some help!! Any suggestions for a desperate mom?!

Oh, Wal-Mart!!!

2009-02-06T08:32:00.006-06:00

Where have all the good wonderful bananas gone?!!!! Since moving to SL, I have wondered that!! I have come to the conclusion that it doesn't matter how long I stand and stare at the banana table I can never find that wonderful bunch of bananas. Just the other day, it took me about 5 minutes to find the right bananas and they were still somewhat bruised!! Plus, I have also noticed that my milk goes bad just after I buy it within a couple of days! What is happening to Wal-Mart? I will have to shop somewhere else! As Bill would say "Sam Walton would not be very happy!"

Update on the Maynard's

2009-01-27T08:34:00.003-06:00

It has been a while since I have sent an update on the Maynard family. Well, let's see Drew told me yesterday that he doesn't want to poop on the potty, he wants to wear a diaper. He actually said, "No mommy, I wear di-per, I not poop in potty." We even bought him a new Gordon and it is sitting on top of the bookshelf just waiting for him to poop on the potty. This means I need to take some quick action and get to the bottom of this situation. Off to the library I will go!

Tyler, well, let's just say he is my early riser, still!! Drew is still sleeping at 8:40 am, and Tyler was awake at 5:15 am for the day. I am going to have to get to the bottom of that situation too. It would be nice for the boys to have their own rooms. Tyler likes to wake up and yell "Dew, Dew, Dew", at the top of his lungs, so of course, I have to get him out before he wakes Drew up. We will have to wait until Bill finishes school, then having their own rooms might become a possibility! About 3 more months to go! Yippee!

Bill is doing great, he has a heavy load these next 6-8 weeks with four classes. Then he will only have two the last half of this semester! It has gone fast now that I look back. We will be so excited when it is all over! His work is going good,and no word of any layoffs. PTL!! They have slowed down somewhat, but he still has a job and we are thankful for that.

And me, well, I am actually starting to enjoy staying at home. It took me about a year, but I am finally starting to love it. When we first moved here I have to admit I did go through some depression. It was probably a mix of moving, just had a baby, it was darn cold, a new birth control (Yaz, never again!!!), and not to mention a new job taking care of two boys! I am so thankful that the Lord took me through that. It was hard, but I learned that no matter where I am at in life, no matter where the Lord leads us, HE is always there and is always faithful! It took me some time to be content, but I can actually say that I am content where the Lord has me. I, of course, miss home, but the Lord has shown me that in not being content where the Lord has placed me is disobedience. Just how Jonah disobeyed the Lord, I guess you can say I have been in the belly of the whale and now I am spit out a more content and new person! This year has been a real adjustment, but I am so thankful that the Lord has taken me through this "life" experience to continue to mold me into what He wants me to be. I didn't realize I was going to go into all that, but I guess that was on my heart. Love you all!

We Joined a Small Group!

2009-01-21T07:31:00.003-06:00

We have only been going to our new church for a couple weeks now, but we decided to join a small group. We really love our new church, it is full of young couples and it is full of excitement and life. Our small group meets on Tuesday nights, which was a sacrifice for Bill to make since he is really busy these next 6 weeks with 4 classes he is taking. We were both in agreement that we really needed to get involved somewhere and we really needed fellowship. The class is called "The Truth Project", by Focus on the Family. Not sure if you have heard about it, I hadn't heard it before the class. It is going to be some really deep topics we will cover. It is a DVD series that we will watch and then break into small groups for discussion. Last night talked about Truth, "What is Truth?", and got us to really question what we think truth is. We also talked about the battle of Spirit of Truth vs. Spirit of Falsehood. The question at the end really got me thinking, "Do you really believe that what you believe is really real?" It should be a great class.

We Have a Babysitter!

2009-01-17T22:34:00.003-06:00

I must say I am blessed! I just went out with Bill and we didn't take our kids!! We found a babysitter! She is fifteen and goes to Dayspring, where we were going to church until we found a church closer to us in Okoboji. Anyway, she lives in Spirit Lake and is so sweet and down to earth, and just great! And she loves the Lord! She sort of reminds me of me when I was a teenager.

Anyway, after I picked her up and brought her back to the house, we walked in the door and I was surprised the boys literally attacked her! They both smiled at her and said "Hi" and Tyler walked over to her and buried his head in her legs. So sweet! I think she was a bit overwhelmed. I would have been too if two kids just attacked me! We showed her the house and gave her the instructions and Drew was literally saying, "Bye Mommy, Bye Daddy!", and pushing us out the door. It was hilarious! When we got back I thought for sure Drew would be up, but he wasn't. She said he went to bed at 8pm and she only had to tell him to lay down once and he was out! I told her she needed to come to my house every night and put them to bed!! I am so glad it went great! I asked her after tonight if she would like to babysit more and she said YES!!!! So we now have a babysitter. After being here 14 months and not being able to get out, this is just wonderful!!! Praise the Lord! Bill and I can now have date nights! YIPPEE!

Our Winter Wonderland

2009-01-15T16:10:00.005-06:00

I thought I would send some pictures of our snowfall that we have received this year so far. It has not been that bad really. Well, I guess the good thing is that I haven't had to drive in it everyday. I can choose when I want to go out and brave the weather. I must say though it seems every time I have to go and take the boys to a doctor appt., it never fails, there is some sort of precipitation. It adds to the drama of just taking them out by myself! Here are the pictures. The nice thing is that we have a neighbor that has a snow blower and he dug our mailboxes out for us. What a nice guy!!! Well, his mailbox is right next to ours, so I guess he had to dig ours out too! Anyway, enjoy the pictures!

A Lesson Learned!

2009-01-09T11:03:00.002-06:00

Drew and I had our first dentist appointment today at a dentist a picked out of the phone book. I will never do that again!!! When I arrived at the dental office, I should have had my first clue by the parking lot being virtually vacant!! I walk in and this overwhelming smell of cigarette smoke hits me. I should have just turned around right then. The lady at the desk greets me and I have a whole sheet to fill out for myself and then I had to ask her about filling one out for Drew, that should have been my second clue. Then before I even was able to finish the paperwork, they were taking Drew back with them to the room. I thought, wait a minute, that is my kid, don't take him back there without me!! Drew obviously freaked out and didn't want to go back. I said, I am almost done, we will come back once I am finished filling this paperwork out. Hello, he is 3!!!! Then this old man greeted us, I assumed he was the dentist. Drew of course, was a little on edge at that moment. He could of at least been kind enough to take his mask of to greet a 3 year old. Then we go into the room and it looked like a total 1970's dental office. It didn't look professional at all and it looked dirty. I thought to myself, "Lord Help ME!!!" I continued to look around and then I thought, do they clean these instruments???!!! I wanted to get out of there!! Drew of course did not want to sit in the chair so I sat in it and put him on my lap. The dentist wasn't that nice to him. He just said, "Open your mouth." I thought, "Oh, great here we go!" Drew at first didn't want to sit down, but then he did after I bribed him with a sucker, he opened his mouth and the dentist said it looked fine and asked if I was brushing his teeth and I said yes. They gave him a toothbrush and toothpaste. And that was it!! I was so surprised, I thought they were going to clean his teeth and all. Well, after my "cleaning" I found out that is probably what they call a cleaning for a kid. So then it was my turn. I go and get my teeth x-rayed and then I go and sit and wait for them to get my film and look at it. That didn't take too long, which was great, because I was about to walk out! The dentist came back in and was looking at my x-ray and said, "It looks like her wisdom teeth are out." I said yes, I had all four cut out. Then he said, "It looks like the upper ones might still be there." I thought, NO, Hello, I just told you I had all four cut out!! I think I would remember that!!! Then he did his so called, cleaning I guess. He picked at my teeth and checked them over and said I might have some decay but not enough to fill yet. Then the dental assistant/receptionist/dental hygeniest/who knows what else she does, said she was going to polish my teeth. From what I know polishing to be, there is actual polish and teeth cleaning agents that are put on my teeth and polished. That is what my old dentist office did and then they would floss my teeth and I would actually feel like my teeth were cleaned. Well, this lady, I was wondering if she even had a degree to do this, started "polishing" and then she put that water spout in my mouth and didn't suck it out!!!!! I actually started choking on the water!! Helloooooo, I am laying on my back!!!! All she said, "Oh, did ya get too much water!!" Yeah!!!!! Then I sat up and I was done. She said we will see you in 6 months. I thought, NO WAY!!!

So, a lesson was learned my friends!! Ask around to find a good dentist!! To make myself feel better after that crazy appointment, Drew and I went to "Good Cookies" and got a huge monster cookie for our treat!! YUMMY!!!

A New Baby Proof Invention?!

2009-01-07T18:38:00.004-06:00

Just when I thought my house was baby proof, Tyler pulls a new one on me today. When I went into the kitchen this morning I saw some water on the floor thinking, oh must be from some ice that fell out of the ice machine, that happens sometimes, so I just cleaned it up. A little while later I found more water and thought, what is going on, am I going crazy, I thought I just picked up this water?!! Then here comes Tyler and he goes right up to the water dispenser on the fridge and pushes it! The little booger, I should have figured that out when I saw his shirt covered in water. What is a mother to do now? Do they make covers for the refrigerator water and ice machine? Huh, maybe I should invent something like that. Any thoughts from other mothers? This could be a million dollar invention!

Life Goes On In the Frozen Tundra!

2008-12-17T07:36:00.003-06:00

I have been living here in northwest Iowa for a year now, and I have learned that a little snowstorm and below freezing temps does not stop people here. I even went out in it yesterday. It was nuts, we got about 4 or 5 inches of snow, and everyone was still out. School wasn't delayed or cancelled, everyone just went on with their lives as if the snow was just sooo normal. Well, if they delayed or cancelled for the temps or snow, they probably would never go to school!! Unlike, Indiana that closes school for 2 or 3 inches of snow. I have learned too from last year to keep your vehicle running when you run in the grocery store or if you have to run any errands. I actually kept the van running while we were at the doctor's office. It was great to get into a nice warm vehicle. Since the high yesterday was about zero. I am looking forward to our next snowstorm tomorrow night. I think we are to get about 6 inches or more of snow. I am getting used to the fact that it snows here about every other day. It snowed on Sunday (that was the blizzard and high winds), we got about 3 inches, it snowed yesterday about 4 inches, and lets see it already snowed about 4 inches last week so that is a total of 11 inches so far folks! And it isn't even January yet! Oh, what a great winter we are in for!!!

Starry Nights

2008-12-15T08:10:00.003-06:00

Every night before bed, Drew wants to see the stars and the moon. Well, unfortunately in the winter here we have snow like every other day (seriously), so it is always cloudy. Every night we look out the window and Drew says, "Mommy, see the stars." I always tell him that we can't see the stars since it is cloudy. It is so sad to see his little face so disappointed. He always says anyway, "Goodnight stars." Even if he can't see them. It is so sweet!! On Saturday I was finishing up my Christmas shopping and I saw a pack of the stars you stick on the ceiling and glow and I just had to get them for him. Last night Bill and I put them up for him as a surprise. It was so much fun to see his reaction. We both laid down on his bed and Bill turned off the light and Drew saw them and goes, "Wow, mommy look stars!!", and he started to giggle. It was priceless and Tyler chimed in too by saying, "Ooooh!!" Then we all laid on Drew's bed and looked at the stars. It was so much fun!

Winter Wonderland

2008-12-09T12:55:00.003-06:00

It has finally come, our first storm of the winter season, first of many to come!! We got about 4 or 5 inches. I love watching it snow and how pretty it is when you wake up the next morning with all the nice fresh snow. Drew can't wait to go out and play in it. We will be heading out tomorrow once the winds die down and it warms up to the twenties. It should be fun to play in the snow and get them out in it. It will probably take me about an hour to get them ready and then we will only be out for a few minutes, but it will be worth it! Then we will come in and have some hot chocolate, my new love for this winter season! I bought some at the store the other day and I must say it has become my nap time delight! Once I put the boys down I go right to the kitchen and make some. I must say next time I will get the one with extra marshmallows, I really like the marshmallows. I even think I might add some whip cream to my new love. The extra calories probably aren't that good for me, but hey, it is winter, you are supposed to add 5 pounds so you stay warmer, besides you hide it with the big winter coats and sweatshirts! This is going to be a great winter!

The Vicks Vapor Rub Happening!

2008-12-07T13:33:00.004-06:00

If you ever want a rub down with Vicks, come to my house and Drew will help you out! Yesterday was a wonderful day of playing with the boys and just relaxing and having fun. Bill is away on his hunting trip to Eldon with his dad, so I am alone with the boys all weekend. It has been nice, but I also miss having that second hand around, I could have used it yesterday!! All was well, the boys were napping and I was enjoying my girl movie I rented and it got over about 4:30, so I thought I would get Drew up. Well, as I approached the stairs I smelt this overwhelming odor of Vicks. I then started to run up the stairs. I opened the door quickly and found him rubbing his hands on his cheeks saying, "Mommy, I shaving, like daddy." He always says that when he rubs anything on his cheeks. He wants to be just like daddy. I then looked on the bed, he had wiped it all over his bed, the pillow, the rocking chair, the wall, the door, all over his toys! I said, "OH MY!!!" Then I asked him if he ate it, he said no. And I asked him over and over again and he kept saying no. I quickly threw him in the tub and washed him and I called my sister, Teri and my mom to see what I should do. I thought for sure Noah or one of us did this when we were little. But no one did, so I called Poison Control to see what I needed to do just in case he did ingest it. Praise the Lord it was the Baby Vicks Vapor Rub. The lady at Poison Control said it will just cause irritation in the mouth it is non-toxic. She said if it was the regular vapor rub it would cause seizures. So now, I don't have anything on the changing table, except wipes and diapers. I have learned something from this experience, don't trust little boys with anything they can smear all over themselves or the wall, because they will actually do it! What an adventure it is having two boys.

We are Blessed!

2008-12-04T12:22:00.004-06:00

I am thankful to the Lord that we are really Blessed! Yes, I may not have that new couch I have been wanting since we got married, I may not have all the new clothes I want or the new decorations, but I have a roof over my head, my children have clothes to wear and we are fed. I was watching the news yesterday morning and this mother didn't have much money, she was on welfare and she said the foodstamps would go only so far, so she watered down her son's formula to make it last longer. I guess in doing that the baby almost died. I guess babies aren't supposed to have any added water in their diet until about 10 months of age. She said she was just trying to stretch the formula out as much as she could since she couldn't afford to buy what they baby needed. She said her husband had been out of work for six months or so and they were tight on cash. That really hit home for me, I thought what am I doing to help those in need. NOTHING! I told Bill that I wanted to go the store and buy some formula and donate it to the food bank here. I know that many people are starting to feel the affect of this economy and I want to be able to bless those that are less fortunate and help those in need. This verse in Proverbs 22:9 sums it all up,

"The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor."

Goodbye Fall....Hello Winter!

2008-11-22T07:50:00.004-06:00

I am so sad to say that my wonderful fall is now at an end. The lakes are already starting to freeze and when we woke up this morning there was snow on the ground. Now it has already snowed, but that melted about a week or two ago. For some reason today, it just feels like this snow is going to stick around for awhile. This winter is going to be more fun than last year, atleast I hope. I don't think I was prepared last winter. Tyler was just a baby last winter and I was stuck inside all winter. My only was outing was to the grocery store. It was our first winter in the frozen tundra and I didn't know what to expect. We didn't even have the proper snow gear. We are so prepared this winter and I am looking forward to it. I have learned either you love it or hate it. Last year I hated it and this year I am going to try to love it! I am going to try to be as positive as I can this year. Now, when it gets to be about twenty to thirty below, that is ridiculous cold, so don't ask me then if I love it!

So today, we are going to decorate for Christmas! Or, I should say I am going to decorate for Christmas. Bill is deer hunting this morning and he is hoping to get one. He said it is perfect conditions for a deer kill today. Have funny honey!! I am going to stay nice and warm!!! I am so excited to get my Christmas things out. I probably won't go all out this year to decorate for one, we don't have much room, two, we don't have much room, and three, TYLER!! My cute, little destroyer!! He gets into everything!!! Plus, Drew now knows how to get anything he wants by getting a kitchen chair and climbing. So, now I can't keep anything away from these boys. There is never a dull moment in this house! Speaking of that, I must go get Drew off of Tyler again!!

Family Traditions!

2008-11-17T10:48:00.003-06:00

Well, it is that time of year again to get our decorations out, start playing that wonderful Christmas music, and gain that fabulous 5 pounds of winter weight! This year is exciting because Drew is starting to understand Christmas this year. I am trying to teach him some Christmas songs to sing for everyone! It should be great!! This year we are going to celebrate our family Christmas the Saturday before we go to Indiana. We really want to start doing Maynard family traditions. I have heard of other people doing this too, celebrating Jesus' birthday by baking a cake together. We are going to do that this year and I am so excited to be able to start a tradition with our family. I want our children to understand the full meaning behind Christmas, the birth of our Lord Jesus! I want them to of course, enjoy getting gifts, but also giving too. I want them to be able to share the Love of Jesus with their friends and people they meet as they grow and get older. I hope they will never lose sight of the true joy of Christmas!

I am supposed to enjoy "EVERY" moment?!

2008-11-02T07:32:00.002-06:00

I am glad to be a stay-at-home mom, you know to not miss any moment in their life. Well, poor Tyler has had diahrrea for like 4 days now and yesterday was a day that I could have missed! I feel bad he is sick, but he doesn't have a fever, if he is still has it tomorrow, I will take him to the doctor. Anyway, last night I decided to give Tyler a bath alone (thank goodness!), because he has a sore bum and I thought it would be a nice and calming before bed. Well everything was fine, he was all clean and I was letting him play, then all of a sudden he had that look of "I have to poop!", on his face and then it happened.....HE POOPED IN THE TUB!! I could not believe it. I was like you have got to be kidding me!!! It was the grossest things I had ever seen!! I quickly tried to get him out as he was trying to play with it! YUCK!!! I am just glad Drew wasn't in the tub too. So, I am now on a sanitizing kick!!! This was definitely a moment in his life I could have missed!

Fun Times at Home!

2008-10-30T08:23:00.011-05:00

I thought I would share some new pictures of the Maynard family and let you know what we have been up to. Some are of Tyler coloring for the first time, well he really just wanted to eat the crayons instead of coloring, but it is a good start. I think he might be left handed, he kept picking it up with his left hand. Of course, they say you can never tell this early, we will just have to see. We also have baked brownies, Drew's favorite thing to make! I think he just likes licking the spatula!! We also carved our first pumpkin. Actually, this was the first time I did it myself. I think it turned out pretty good! Oh, and the last are of Tyler in the bathroom. He has this fascination with the bathroom. I have to always keep the door closed. Well, this weekend I was drying my hair, in my own world, and I didn't notice he came in and unrolled the entire new roll of toilet paper!! He had fun!! Oh, and he loves sitting on Drew's potty. He cracks me up and goes in and gets it and sits right on it. I am thinking maybe I should start training him, he might be easier!! :)

My Attitude Stinks!

2008-10-25T08:37:00.008-05:00

I am really missing my family and friends right now. This week has been hard since they boys have been sick and I am sick. Bill has even worked nights this week and it has been lonely in the evenings. I must say I don't know how single parents do it. I never really realized how much my husband does help out in the evenings until he was gone. This week I realized something that I don't like about myself. It is my attitude. Even though I don't have any family or friends around, that is no excuse for me to be so negative. I have noticed that I set the tone for the family. It is true what they say, "If momma ain't happy, nobody's happy!" Well, I don't like it and I must change it. I guess since the Lord has opened my eyes to this I must really try to work on it. Lord please help me to look for the good in every day and not the bad. Please help my attitude line up with Your Word and to only glorify You! I want to create a joyful and peaceful home in which You are the center! Amen!

You can learn a lot at Wal-Mart!

2008-10-15T18:28:00.003-05:00

Well, we ventured out to Wal-Mart and yes it was accident free! And pertaining to my last post about venturing out to Wal-Mart with just my underwear on, was pertaining to Drew!! My brother-in-law pointed that statement out to me! Thanks Jess!! :)

Well, as I was shopping at Wal-Mart in my own little world, with Drew running down the aisles picking every box of food that he wanted out and trying to put it in the cart, this old lady was beside me and said, "Those were the good old days." I said, "I hope one day I can think that." She said, "Well, I think of it a lot now that I am old and alone." That really hit me, that I really need to start loving where I am at in life and not wishing it away so quickly. I sometimes tend to think about when they get older how much easier it will be, but they will be grown up and married before I know it. And then I thought too, that was a good opportunity for me to minister to her. I was not thinking about that at the moment, but I really need to start thinking more about Wal-Mart as my mission-field, since I am there about once a week. There are alot of people around me hurting and I am so oblivious at times. Lord open my eyes so that I can see other people around me. Help me not to be so consumed with myself and my own life. Amen!

An Accident Free Day!!

2008-10-14T21:01:00.002-05:00

Yipppppeeeee! I am on cloud nine! We actually made it the whole day without an accident on the floor or in his pants! I am so proud of him, but we still have a long way to go! Tomorrow I am going to venture out to Wal-Mart with just underwear on. This will be a true test, but I am bringing a change of clothes, just in case! Also, another break-through, he wants to wear underwear now. When I tried to put a diaper on him, (I still use diapers at night, pull-ups don't work well, I've learned that!!) he screamed because he wanted his Thomas underwear on! Just a month ago he didn't want to wear underwear and I thought he would go the rest of his life either never wearing underwear or wearing diapers. I was praying for a miracle and the Lord has answered my prayers!

Pull-ups are Not for Potty Training!

2008-10-13T09:25:00.000-05:00

Well, after about 2 1/2 months of potty training, I finally got smart! Pull-ups don't help with potty training! They worked for a while, but then he got to comfortable peeing in them just like a diaper. So, today is a day for re-training! We are going straight to underwear. And yes, some people don't do bribes for their children, but I am one who bribes. He can have all the candy he wants if he pees on the potty!! I am trying to get him to go on his own and not me asking all the time. I think pooping is going to be a hard one to tackle, but I am confident that he will do it. This is soooo much harder than what I thought. I had all these wonderful plans in my head on how potty-training would be so easy and great! Unfortunately, it has been just the opposite. Trying to reason with a two year old just doesn't work!! Who would have known I would have to deal with a strong willed child who throws tantrums. If only they had a potty-training camp where you send them and someone else trains them, I would be the first to sign up for that!! Well, I need all the prayers I can get. I will not be defeated by a two year old!!

Here we Go!

2008-10-11T09:14:00.001-05:00

Well, I thought I would get up to the times with everyone! You know since I do have allll the time in the world to start something new!! I hope from this blog to be able to share what happens in our wonderful, yet sometimes crazy home! I am sure I will have plenty to write about. This will be fun!