Potty Training 101

Potty training is in full swing at our house. So far we are doing well. I say "we" because potty training is a whole family effort. It's difficult to make a concious effort to remember others bowel movements. But, Andrew is doing better than I expected. We learned quickly the pull up method doesnt work for us. So we went cold turkey, the poor kid spent two days with no underwear, but its working! I think the candy corn treat is helping too.

The motivation for diaper freedom was sparked by our visits to area preschools. Can you beleive it, Andrew is already registering for preschool. Where has time gone? It seems like only yesterday when he joined us at the Detroit Airport.

Jamaica Mon'

We packed up kids the last week and headed to Jamaica. Six nights at the all inclusive resort, Beaches Boscobel was enough to push us through the remainder of the Ohio winter.
Rainbow outside our room

They had a fantastic children's program run by a group of certified nannies so the kids were very busy. The resort is also partners with Sesame Street so all the favorite characters are there to join in the fun.

We played at the water park, rode the banana boat, built sandcastles, ate a ton, and soaked up a ton of sun!
Sydney's first banana boat ride.

Andrew took home a scar to forever remind us of his trip to Jamaica. Our room had a deck that over looked the ocean. Andrew & Sydney were running in & out when he slipped on the tile and fell backwards onto the track the sliding glass door runs on. He appeared alright when I first scooped him up but soon there was a stream of blood running down his neck. I grabbed a wash cloth and applied some pressure and rushed him down to the concierge office. They paged the hotel nurse and helped me over to her office. She cleaned up the wound and determined we needed stitches. Uhhh! I was dreading the idea of a Jamaican ER. She reassured me with a "no problem mon", the doctor will come here to the hotel. Thank goodness! Within the hour Dr. Kumar arrived and gave Andrew a check up and decided to use medical glue to close the wound rather than stitches. Andrew was an excellent patient. He sat very quietly while he shaved his head, filled the big gap with glue and squeezed it shut until the glue dried. OUCH! Mommy was so proud of her brave little guy. By afternoon he was good as new and showed off his big boo boo to a surprised Matt who was golfing at the time.
Andrew at the scene of the accident

Andrew was restricted from getting the area wet or dirty for at least 24 hours. Hard to explain to a 2 year old on a beach vacation! But, we made the best of it.

Lavelle's Go Green

We have been recycling a good portion of our trash for years but this year my resolution was to be more green. This weekend I got Matt & Sydney to sit down and watch an episode of Oprah which was disturbing yet inspiring. The next morning we started. We have unplugged our kitchen appliances & cell phone charges when they are not in use. Changed out 20 of our most used light bulbs to the green energy saver ones. Amazing thing is, they are said to last 10 years. Just think, Sydney will be driving next time I have to climb up there to change the bulb. I'm anxious to see if we see a difference on our electric bill. I will be sure and let you all know.

My favorite is the 3 reusable grocery bags mother in law gave me. They are awesome. I grocery shop once a week and generally have at least 12 plastic bags to haul into the house. Now I fit a weeks worth in 3 bags.

How often do you run your dishwasher? We run ours about every other day if not everyday. Mainly because the top rack fills with cups before the bottom is full. So we simply implemented the one cup a day rule. Each of us picks a cup at breakfast and use it throughout the day. How come I didn't think of it before??? The kids get a kick out of choosing the cup of the day.

So, next time you throw something away. Think about this. Where is away????

Our family challenges you all to try go green. Even if its just one lightbulb. You can even comment on our blog and let us know what you did.

Happy New Year

Boy the holidays just flew by. It seems like forever since I posted anything. We had a great Christmas, the kids were spoiled as usual. A few of Sydney's favorite gifts were her webkinz, horse riding video game, High School Musical DVD's, American Girl Doll, and Star Station. Andrew had the all "Cars" Christmas. He loves that movie and whatever goes with it. He has spent hours playing with all the diecast cars Angie got him. Matt is in love with his new IPod and I love my new laptop. But, I still have to purchase the Microsoft Office programs, so if anyone out there has some I can borrow please let me know.

For the second year we spend New Years Eve with the Peter & Eshler Families. We passed the time playing Wii and managed to stay awake till 1:00 AM.

Our resolutions:
Matt- not be lazy, exercise and eat better
Heather- be more green and learn Korean
Sydney- learn more about horses & read
Andrew- potty training (our resolution for him)

Holiday Visit To Florida

We flew down to Florida this past weekend to visit Matt's mom & grandparents. Sydney made friends with our pilot on the escalator ride so he invited her up to the cockpit.
Despite the forced smile in the picture she had a great time. Captain Hans let her sit in the drivers seat & take the wheel. She was tickled pink!

We flew into an 80 degree Tampa Airport. A nice change from our 20 degrees and snowing. Picked up our $9.00 a day rental car, what a great rate, and headed off to Anna Marie Island to visit the Browning's. As always they were happy to have the company.

Pam took Sydney to her school with her the following morning. She joined Mrs. Bird's kindergarten class for the day. She had a great time! She was fascinated by the sand & sea shells on the playground. She is used to the gravel & mulch here in Ohio. By lunch she made so many new friends she opted to sit with them rather than eat with Grandma Pam.


We wrapped up our weekend with a visit to the South Florida Museum where we saw Snooty, the world's oldest manatee. He is 59 and quite sweet.

Then celebrated an early Christmas with dinner & gifts. Andrew loved all his Cars items & Sydney was relieved to receive the American Girl Doll named Ivy. Pam even got both her AG Dolls matching Ohio State cheerleading uniforms.

3 Cheers for Sydney

Sydney had her first cheerleading competition today. Back in August she joined the NEO Cubs, a traveling competition group who has teams ranging from 5 years old to collegiate level. Today's competition was close to home, at the Canton Civic Center.


Sydney & I arrived early for warm ups. She was very excited and nervous about preforming in front of the large crowd. Unlike ballet she could see the audience beyond the stage. By 1:00 PM Sydney's fan club had arrived, Daddy, Grandma Franny, Angie, David, Andrew and Drew. When the announcement came over the PA introducing the NEO Cubs Grandma's tears began to flow. Sydney marched out and took her spot on the mat then turned and gave us all a big wave. She was beaming! The music started and the Cubs team did awesome. I was shocked, we have only seen bits and pieces of the routine as she practiced at home. But, out there on the floor she really put on a show. And, to our surprise was promoted to the flier in the mount sequence. We knew someday her tiny size would come in handy! Way to go Sydney! We are all so proud of you.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! Hope you all stuffed yourselves with turkey. We enjoyed two turkey days. The first one on Thanksgiving Day at the home of Greg & Liz Lavelle. Liz treated us with a delicious traditional meal and lots of laughs.

We celebrated a second time on Saturday at my parents home. They were off enjoying a Greek Island / Mediterranean cruise during Thanksgiving. This year Angie & David took on their first turkey and it was just perfect.

We wrapped up the weekend attempting to capture the entire family in the traditional Christmas card photo. What a hoot! After 26 years of photo cards we are running out of ideas. I will wait and let everyone open their mailboxes to see how it turned out.

Penney Pics

After torturing myself trying to get a good picture of the kids I finally gave up and took them to JC Penney's. Here is a link to view all the pictures:

https://www.smilesbywire.com/home.asp?AC=LTPP0490101805JCP

Customer Name: HEATHER LAVELLE
Access Code: LTPP0490101805JCP

Thank You Veterans

I am very proud to be the daughter, niece and granddaughter of a US Veteran. Although I may have never expressed that to them aloud, I have great respect and admiration for the sacrifices they have made to make my life what it is today.

As a military caseworker for the American Red Cross I been given a small insight into the lives of our servicemen & woman. When I saw the picture above I just had to post it. Take a moment this Veteran's Day & send a thank you note to our troops.

www.letssaythanks.com

Trick Or Treat

Boy, the days are just flying by. Before we know it, it will be Christmas. Yesterday, the Napholz's next door held a wonderful little Halloween party. Both the kids & adults had a great time before hitting the road for 2 power hours of trick or treating. Matt chose to stay home & pass out the treats this year. I think he was regretting that decision before the first goblin made it to our door. We decided to pass out popcorn this year and bought one of those old fashion pop corn carts. Unfortunately, it couldn't keep up with the 200 or so kids. Thank goodness my dad was there. He was popping in the microwave and feeding the cart throughout the 2 hours. :) Thanks Dad!


The kids both wanted to be pirates this year. Thankfully, the weather was somewhat decent so we didn't have to layer them up beyond recognition. My mom & I took the kids door to door, Sydney stayed one or two houses ahead of us most of the way. She was trying despretly to keep up with the neighbor boys. Andrew was content being carried between each driveway. The moment his feet hit the ground he recited TickerTreat, TickerTreat over and over until he got his candy.

Pink

In honor of Mom the whole family participated in the Making Strides Breast Cancer Walk yesterday. More lovingly called the "Boob Walk" by our family. WE LOVE YOU MOM!! Three cheers for seven years! XOXOXOXOX

Halloween Heat Wave

We joined our neighbors the Art's & Napholtz's at the pumpkin patch today. No winter coat was needed this year, it was nearly 90 degrees when we boarded the haywagon for the pumpkin pasture. Sydney needed no assistance this year, she knew just what she was looking for. Andrew was more meticulous and settled for a tall skinny greenish orange one.


Our entire group took the corn maze challenge and with the kids leading we finish in just under an hour. Thankfully, the high corn gave off some shade because it was hot, especailly since Andrew insisted on being carried the entire time.

Akron Marathon

The Chase Bank Team finished the 26 mile Akron Marathon today in just under 4 hours. Matt was the final runner completing the 7 mile leg. He was all out of gas a few miles before the finish line but running into Aeros Stadium with its packed crowd of cheering fans could drive anyone to finish line. Way to go Matt, we are proud of you!

Driving Range

Matt & Sydney headed to the driving range as part of their daddy/daughter day.

Andrew's First Tribe Game

The whole family headed out to the ballpark for Andrew's first MLB game. The Cleveland Indians vs. Detroit Tigers. Our seats were out in near center field but that didn't really matter since none of us really got to watch much of the game.

Sydney placed her overpriced pizza down on the chair then stood up sending her pizza down onto ground as the chair folded up. She then burst in to tears, sending Matt back to the concession stand. Andrew was busy down the aisle discovering all the abandon bits of food on the ground. While I dealt with him Sydney was delivered her new pizza. Which she almost lost again if the man next to us didn't catch it as it descended towards the ground.

Once all dinner was out of the way we did enjoy a few innings. Andrew was clapping, dancing and flirting with the ladies behind us. Sydney kept her hands over her ears most of the time, she didnt like roar of the crowd and fireworks that went off after a homerun. Once she started bugging Matt for Dip n Dots it was time to hit the road.

Happy Birthday Matt

The kids got up early today and presented him with their handmade cards before work. Sydney wrote "Happy Birthday Dad Love Sydney" all by herself. She was very proud. Andrew drew a few squiggles on his & insisted I trace his hand.

Then it was off to work. Poor guy, had to work late too.

On Saturday night we picked up Matt's gift. Corn Hole! My dad built it and my mom sewed the bags. He loved it! So much so he hauled it up to the Browns game. He and a few friends tailgated, played cornhole and cheered the Browns onto their first victory of the season.

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

Horseback

We visited our friends The Eshler's on Sunday. Sydney was in heaven! Horses & tons of barn cats. But, before she could ride she had to help out with the chores. I don't think she minded one bit! Wearing her brand new pink cowboy boots that Grandma Franny got her she mucked the stalls. Thats the fancy equine word for shoveling shit. She finished up by filling the water & feed buckets. Then it was time to bring the horses in from the pasture. She had to stand back until they were all secure in their stalls. After they finished their dinners she gave them each a special treat, an apple, she brought from home.

Rumor, is the most kid friendly horse of the bunch so Sydney gave him a good brushing while Deanna saddled him up. Below are pics of both Sydney & Andrew's ride. Thanks Eshler's!

First day of kindergarten

Sydney had a big day today too; the first day of kindergarten! She jumped right out of bed this morning and got ready with out me bugging her one bit. Grandma Pam flew in from Tampa for the big event. We all headed out to the bus stop and it arrived promptly at 8:36 AM. She hesitated a bit when the doors opened so Lynn next door took her hand and led the way. She sat next to Trent and both were beaming as the bus drove out of sight.


About 12:30 PM the bus returned. Sydney bounced off and told us all about her big day. Andrew couldn't wait to hug her. I think he was lonely and bored without her.

She said they colored raccoons, listened to a story, played with the kitchen, and went to the bathroom. Then at circle time they passed an apple and you had to say your name. She saw Ben on the playground at recess too.

I asked the standard first day of school question, "Did you make any new friends?" She said "Yes, Sydney M, they sit by each other". Hooray!

The best part was, she asked if she could go back again tomorrow. Ahhh! What a relief.

Happy Birthday Mom

Happy 60th Birthday Mom!!! I know she will just love to see her age posted here for all to read but I very proud of her. Age is just a number and you should live life to the fullest. Today, her & my dad took a helicoper ride. It was one of those things on her "Things to do before I die" list. They departed from Cape Canaveral area, headed down the space coast and out over the Atlantic ocean where they saw manatees & a school of dolphin. Afterwards they stopped in the American Police Hall of Fame and shot a few rounds at the firing range. Something she has never done and out of the box.

My mom once said; its not the dates written on your tombstone thats important, its the dash, and what you did with it.

What a day! Happy Birthday Mom!

Lots and lots of animals

We had an animal filled weekend. Beginning Friday with a trip to the Portage County Fair. Its sort of a tradition in my family. My Grandpa Lisic loved taking my mom as a child and then took my sister and I as kids (on free senior day of course) :) My mom now keeps the tradition going.

Sunday was so beautiful we decided to head up to the Cleveland Zoo. With the tempature in the mid 70's all the animals were very active. Sydney was all about elephants while Andrew kept saying "I Wuv Hapos" (hippos).

We ended our last weekend before school starts with a trip to the park. Being new residents of North Canton we are checking out all the city parks & playgrounds, this one was a hit because of all the ducks. Hungry Ducks! Andrew enjoyed roaring at them until they would run off and then appologizing by saying "keykel keykel" which means "tickle tickel".