Potty training update..days 3 and 4

Day 3 was really really good!  We got very brave and ventured to Elmira without a diaper or pull up!  Bad news if you start using those along with underwear.  The only time she wears a pull up or diaper is when she sleeps and we call them her bed time pants.  Erica gave me the bright idea to bring along Bristol's elmo potty seat in a wal mart bag so that she would be comfortable on any potty we needed to use.  This worked like a charm!  We brought it into Sams club with us and she peed like a big girl with no problems.  No accidents the whole time we were away from home.  Then we got home...and she played outside for a while and when she came in she realized she had waited to long and had an accident.  But still really good day!  Oh..and we still pooped in the underwear that morning too...oy!

Day 4 was another great day!  No pee accidents at all!  AND she is finally starting to tell us that she has to go potty instead of me guessing or making her go every so often.  I still make her go quite frequently but love that she is figuring out when she needs to go too.  We were brave again today and took both girls to Lilley's dance recital in Elmira at the Clemens Center.  We took along the potty seat again and used it probably 5 times while we were there.  Worked great...no accidents and she even had a sippy while we were there!  We got home and got ready for bed and I was all excited because there were NO pee accidents when all of a sudden she said...mom, I pooped in my underwears. UGH...but at least its not pee right?!  I think she is well on her way to being pee potty trained...at least during the day.  We need to work on the pooping in the potty and on staying dry throughout the night.  That one might be a while with as much as she drinks but we will see.  She has surpassed all my expectations so far!  For a little girl who didn't want to go on the potty she is doing an excellent job!

Some pics of Bristol with no diaper in her bathing suit...such a cute tiny hiney!  :)

Potty training Update - Day 2

Bristol had a much much better day today! She made it from wake up until 6:00 pm without an accident! She had 2 accidents before dinner but that was it!  Derek and I were brave and took the girls to Applebee's for lunch. No worries about behavior just a potty accident! We tried to go potty there once but bristol was not having it. She did not like the big potty without her elmo seat. But we lucked out and wemadeit home with no accidents! She even made it through her nap with a dry pull up! She had a great day and I pray that it continues into the next few days and we knock this whole potty training thing out quick.

I do find that I have to sit with her with absolutely no distractions so she can concentrate on peeing and getting it to come out...hopefully that part gets easier for her. No poop today which worries me a little...I hope she's not holding it in so she doesn't have to go poop on the potty.

Potty time for Bristol

Today is the first day of summer break and the first day of potty training.  Bristol has not been very fond of the idea of sitting on the potty ever since we started talking about it with her a few months back.  She always whined and said noooo.
Last night we went to Wal mart and picked out Dora and Friends & Frozen Fever big girl underwear. She liked the underwear but still was not happy about this potty talk.  We also picked out some small $1.00 - $2.00 toys/prizes that we could put into a bag and she could pick one after she went potty.  We came home and put together her prize bowl and she was very excited.

She loved picking out random toys but STILL wasn't sold on the whole potty thing once I told her she could only pick something once she went on the potty.

I was hopeful this morning as we sat her on the potty for the first time to start out potty training journey...but Bristol STILL was not having any of it. This was her reaction..

After I jumped around and danced and screamed and yelled about how awesome it was that she was sitting on the potty she stopped crying and I allowed her to pick a prize for sitting on the potty like a big girl.  I set the timer and we tried again....no tears.  I guess she decided sitting there wasn't so bad if she was going to get a prize for it.  After the first two times sitting on the potty and getting a prize I told her no more prizes until she pees or poops on the potty.  

She had multiple accidents...peed in the tent, on the carpet, on the hardwood (which Brooklyn decided to stomp her feet through.grrr), on the couch twice, and while outside blowing bubbles.  We went through every pair of underwear we bought yesterday!  While she has a very long way to go I feel like she made a small amount of progress today.  After having her sit on the potty, NOT pee or pee very little, and then 5 minutes later have an accident I figured out that she was getting too excited when she did sit and go to allow herself to empty her bladder.  So I had to sit in front of her while she sat on the potty and tell her to listen to her pee and to let them all out of her belly.  She would put her little hand up to her ear to listen and while concentrating on it she would pee!  But would screech with excitement and stop...so I had to cheer with her and then settle her and have her listen again until she peed some more.  We ended up having to do this about 4 times so she would empty her bladder...and we had far less accidents after I figured that out.  

She did poop in her underwear today too...not even sure how to approach that one since Brooklyn never had a problem pooping on the potty...and never had a pooping accident. 

So she is in her pull up for bedtime tonight and tomorrow is another long day of potty training.  Hopefully she improves some more!  

This was her feelings about potty training right before getting jammies on tonight...

Much better than her feelings this morning lol

And of course...Zoey stuck by her side through all her potty trips today

Summer starts in 2 days!! Summer Bucket List

Summer vacation is literally just around the corner.  Tomorrow is the students last 1/2 day and then we have one more teacher day after that until Schoooooools out for SUMMER!  I swear to you that teachers get more excited about this day than students HAHA.  Not that we will be "off" all summer as most think.  We will all be spending lots of time planning for next year and setting up paperwork that needs to be completed, and working summer school.  Of course, I plan on spending all my extra time making memories with my babies. I want to make the most of our days together while they still want to spend time with their momma. I know it seems silly at their young ages and it seems like I have many more years left to make memories but as fast as kids grow up now a days I want to make the most of what I have.   So I decided to make a summer bucket list...

2016 Summer Bucket List 

- Visit Buffalo Zoo
- Visit Virginia Zoo
- Visit Binghamton Zoo
- Go to the Discovery Center
- Go to the Science Center
- Visit the Crayola Factory
- Have a garage sale
- Potty Train Bistol
- Play in the sand on the beach with my kids
- Play in the waves on the beach with my kids
- Go visit family - reunions
- Play in the rain
- Jump in puddles with the kids

- Catch a caterpillar and watch it morph

- Make a water blob with kids

- Go to 5 different parks

- Fly a kite

- Paint rocks

- Pick blueberries

- Pick strawberries

- Troy Fair

- Go on a picnic

- Camp indoors

- Collect sea shells

- Catch sand crabs on the beach

- Watch the sunrise at the beach

- Feed ducks

- Catch a lightening bug in a jar 

- Go to the library

- Go to a splash pad

- Visit a farm

- Go fishing

- Play in a creek

Spring is in FULL swing and so is the attitude!

This is by far the most difficult stage of parenting I have been through.  The girls were easier to handle when Bristol was a screaming infant, Brooklyn was the only mobile toddler, and the boys were all younger and more cooperative.  I have 5 children who are all hitting different stages of attitude at the same time.

Zach is 14 going on 24 and keeps to himself for the most part.  But when he does come around to chit chat he is very opinionated and doesn't find much else funny or entertaining. Everything is Zach's teenage world is dumb or stupid.  He likes what he likes and nothing else lol.  Although,  Zach is probably the easiest of the 5 children.

Dylan is almost 13 and has a sassy witty attitude that is usually very funny but he sometimes takes it too far and pushes buttons.  He's not sure when enough is enough yet.  Dylan likes to start fights with Colton and claim complete innocence. Hell he likes to pick fights with Brooklyn!!

Colton on the other hand is out of control with his attitude.  He is 11 and knows EVERYTHING.  He can be a wonderful, polite, and enjoyable child one minute and the second something doesn't go his way he freaks out and loses his mind.

Brooklyn is a total three-nager who has an answer or argument for everything.  She can be the most helpful and loving child but can also be a sassy little stinker! She loves to pick fights with her sister and instigate and then when Bristol hauls off and whacks her she cries and cries and cries...oy!

Bristol is definitely going through the terrible 2's and is a milder version of Brooklyn's attitude.  Bristol has zero fear of physical feats though and is jumping off everything and running everywhere.  The girls shins are so bruised she looks abused. She can throw a fit with the best of them and enjoys a good slap fight with her sister.  I always say she is lucky she is so darn cute because she is a little devilish spit fire!

Life is crazy in the Watkins' household but I wouldn't change it for a minute.  We all learn to cope with the different stages and get along.  The boys are a huge help with the girls and the girls are good at distracting the boys from each other...so having a lot of people in our house works well for us.