Potty Training

Potty Training? Yes, POTTY TRAINING!!!! We have been in the midst of potty training for a week now and so far so good. This is like the 3rd time I have attempted to potty train Isaiah, but this is the 1st time I had a plan and stuck to it!!! After reading a great book "Potty Training in 3 Days," I knew we were both ready for the task ahead. When Isaiah woke up from his 4 hour nap last Wednesday with a dry pull-up, I knew he was ready! The first day went great. He was excited and going on the potty most of the day. By Sunday he hadn't pooped (even in his pants) since before his nap Wednesday!! We still have not conquered the pooping on the potty part YET, but peeing has gone pretty well! Earlier this week it was one accident after another, and I was ready to give up! Of course this is exactly what the book says will happen, then all of a sudden it clicks. (So far we haven't reached that full click, but we are almost there.) :) All in all, I am very impressed by Isaiah's efforts and attempts! Remember, he is not even 2 yet!!!! So, how did I do it?

1.) Make a plan before you even attempt to do it!
2.) Make sure you and your child are ready!
3.) Commit to staying home 3 days with your child (OK we didn't do this part perfectly, but oh well!)
4.) Get rid of the diapers and pull-up and DO NOT LOOK BACK (this part was huge for us, when Isaiah woke up, we told him the plan, he went and threw away his pull-up, was on board, and ready to go! Now, I'm cheap so I didn't trash the diapers like the book instructs (I do have another kid remember) but I did make a conscience effort to never put one back on him.
5.) Pick out a potty seat with your child. We already had one from the baby shower so we skipped this fun step, but I do recommend looking for one with a very high front scoop for little boys! :)
6.) Let your big kid pick out their new undies. Again, the book recommends no training undies either so they can feel the wetness on them, but we already had some and with doing constant laundry, we needed them frequently! Also, I found some at a garage sale this summer for 50 cents for a 3 pack, I thought it would be perfect for training, and so what if they are used!!
7.) Watch their signs and signals; for a few days, Isaiah would run up to me say mom, then run to the potty; then he denied having to go; now I know when he needs to and we run to the potty. In order to help you with this step, I recommend lost of juice!!! We usually don't do much straight juice, so this was a special treat for Isaiah. Once you have them figured out, you can go back to your normal drink routine.
8.) Praise, Praise, Praise!!! When they do go on the potty praise like crazy! We even used small rewards like m&m candies. (my cousins will be happy to know the m&m system is back, they want to be rewarded when they pee even though they are in their 20s!) The toughest part about all the praise, is not scolding when they have an accident! We (dare I say it) SPANK when a child is out of line, so remembering to talk through the accidents and praise him for trying to get to the potty was not easy!!!!
9.) Keep at it, as I said before, when you are ready to give up, don't they will get it!!! Yesterday was the 1st accident free day (other than poop, but we will get there)!
10.) Scream it out! WHAT!?!?!!? Yes, I have to admit that on our accident only day, I had to walk out of the bathroom (with Isaiah attempting to go on it) and head out for a loud scream at the top of my lungs!! Honestly, this is something I NEVER do (unless I am at a sporting event and the refs are terrible hehe) but it felt good! I was calmed down and ready to start over with my little pee pants boy!

In the end, this week will be quickly forgotten and all I will remember is how well he potty trained at such a young age! Besides, he just looks so much cuter in his big boy undies!!!

I'M BACK!!!!!

After MONTHS away, I felt it was time to dust off the computer and head back to the blog. It is amazing how laziness can totally take over if you let it! A lot has happened since my last post (go figure it was in February). First of all, for the most exciting news... we had our 2nd child in April. Naomi Rae was born in a quick 3 hours! She was 7 lbs 3 oz and 19 inches long. A big difference from her brother Isaiah who was 9 lbs 5 oz and 22 inches! In September we bought our house, and we are now finally all done with the painting, siding issues, finishing the baseboards, and finishing the kids' bathroom. It was a long few months, but we all survived!

Naomi has been growing like crazy and doing new things all the time. She is now almost 4 months old. She has found her toes, almost rolled over from her back, loves sitting up (in the swing, in the bumbo, or when she's being held), she loves to "talk" to us all the time (must be a girl thing) ;), and she LOVES attention. My husband and I laugh about our little attention hog. Before church a few weeks back, she was loaded in her car seat ready to go while the rest of us were finishing up. She stated to fuss so Ben walked up to her to check on her. As soon as she saw him she turned it off, then he walked back into the bathroom to finish brushing his teeth, and you guessed it, she started to fuss again!! All we can do is laugh about it because otherwise it would drive us insane! She is a great baby so far. She sleeps 7-8 hours through the night (she spoiled me and started that at 2 months old!) occasionally she will go 10, she is a great nurser and will take the bottle on the few rare occasions when I pump, and she loves people. It makes it easy taking her places and putting her in the church nursery when she doesn't care who holds her, as long as she is being held! Isaiah was like that too. So far I am surviving as a mother of 2 under 2! In fact, that is something I HATE hearing when I am out and about! It is nice to hear "your kids are so cute", or "they are so well behaved", but I cannot stand the age comments "they are so close in age, you must have your hands full!" After thinking about it for awhile and letting it bother me enough, I have decided I am going to start saying "yes, full of blessings!" I can't wait to see their faces then!

OK, I am done with my rant now! Back to the kids. Isaiah is my good helper!!!! He likes to put the dirty diapers in the diaper genie (which I love especially because we have a dog!), he gets me a new one for her, he turns on her music for her when it goes off on the swing and play gym, and he is the PACI KING! Anytime that paci is out, even if she doesn't need/want it, he runs over and puts it in for her! I just love watching their interactions! Isaiah is almost 23 months now! WOW! It seems like just yesterday he was my little baby needing me all the time! Now he is the big boy helping mommy! He loves to swim in our pool, play with his trucks, play catch (this boy can sure whip the ball), and he is very into hooking up his tractors and implements, and trucks and trailers! He is a little OCD about it to be honest. ;)

Another thing that has happened since my last post... I TURNED 25 THIS SUMMER! YIKES! Sometimes it seems so unreal, and then there are times when I could really careless how old I am! I have all 4 grandparents still alive, my parents and in-laws live just around the corner which is always a huge blessing, and we have so many family and friends that love us to pieces. God has richly blessed us so it makes it easier to deal with the aging process! Oh, that reminds me, we are now up to Goetz Grand baby #20!!! Isaiah is #16, Naomi #19, and number 20 was born in early July. Thanel Richard evened us back up with 10 boys and 10 girls! On the Oman side, Naomi put us up to #4; Isaiah is # 2 and the only boy! But he loves it! :) 

We have also been so busy with everything around here that I almost thought about deleting the blog all together, then as I was reading a fellow blogger's post, I was reminded that sometimes we need to share our hearts or simply be heard!!! Lucky for you right!?! ;) Anyways, the business has been growing like crazy, Praise the Lord, and that means everyone has to work together. Ben has to pull longer hours meaning that the kids and I have to work around that; there is constant paperwork and invoicing that I have to do on top of bill paying, which trickles down to the kids needing to learn how to play alone for a while. Actually, that is a great skill for them to develop anyways! We just made it through another fair season as well. I am a local club leader, and Ben and I are both project superintendents. Sometimes we wonder why, but we really do love it! :) We leave for vacation tomorrow (the annual Goetz camping trip), and you all know how getting ready for vacation is---- not relaxing!!!  Other than that, we will finish out our summer playing around the house and hopefully getting back in the swimming pool (it has been so chilly we haven't swam for 2 weeks!). Ben and I will be celebrating our 5 year wedding anniversary on the 9th!!! I love that man with all my heart! He is such a blessing to us and a great father! Thank you Lord for my Benjamin Samuel!!! I am looking forward to Bible Study starting back up in September, and I joined MOPS this year as well! I am really excited about connecting with other Christian moms closer to my age!
Well, it is time to finish up a few things around the house while the babies are sleeping! Until next time (which hopefully won't be too long),  remember, that if I can do it, You can too!!!

Valentine's Day 2013

Valentine's Day has always been a special time to me. 9 years ago (I was a freshman in high school) on Valentine's Day my husband caught my eye! I knew him through our older brothers and from going to the same school, but he was a year older so we weren't friends. When I knew I liked Benjamin, I could not keep it a secret!! I told my friends and some of our mutual guy friends. I had to let him know that I was interested but didn't want to come out and tell him! After we both finally worked up enough courage to talk to each other, I knew this guy was something special! He offered me a ride home from practice one day in March. Unfortunately, my dad was on his way home from work and was already picking me up. :( The next day I told my dad I would get a ride home. I had to get this guy to take me home some how!! After practice I sat outside the guys locker room where I always waited for dad to get me, but this time when Ben offered a ride home, I said yes!! Needless to say, on March 31st he asked me to be his girlfriend and we have been inseparable ever since!! So, when I plan out our Valentine's Day, I always think back to those two high schoolers all googlie eyed over each other, and I try to come up with something meaningful for that night.
Like always, Ben was gone at work all day, so I was able to get a lot of the house cleaned. (As much as is possible with a 17 month old and being 7 months pregnant!) I made him a special meal and had a few small gifts for him. I found a funny one-eyed monster candy heart box at the store with a great pun on it. It was perfect for my husband's sense of humor!!! He also needed new work pants so I got him a pair as well. For our special meal, I made Benjamin my famous homemade pizza- heart shaped of course, garlic-parmesan knots, and a brownie strawberry dessert (also heart shaped). It's my fun way of showing my husband how much I love him. But this year he surprised me as well!! While I was doing dishes from the fabulous meal I made, there was a knock on the door... my husband had flowers delivered to the house for me! It was a great surprise! This was the first time he has ever done that. Since Valentine's Day was on a Thursday this year, I also had one more trick up my sleeve. Isaiah usually gets a bath on Thursday night, so after dinner, I went into the bathroom to get "Isaiah's" bath ready. When I asked Ben to bring the little man in for his bath (which I always have him do), he was surprised to see I had a bath full of bubbles and rose petals ready for him! Being a mechanic in the winter time is always hard on his body, so I know how much he enjoys coming home and soaking in the tub. He was surprised by the kind gesture. He then says "I was wondering why you didn't ask me to get Isaiah undressed!" Because I also always have Ben bring him into the bathroom in only his diaper so he is ready for me to put him in the tub. Luckily Isaiah is easy going and was willing to take a bath in the afternoon so mommy's plan would work! :) I love to spoil my husband on Valentine's Day and make him feel like the king of my heart!!! I love you Benjamin Samuel Goetz!!!

Christmas 2012

I know it has been AWHILE since my last blog, but it is time to get back into the swing of things around here!!! We had a great crazy month of holiday celebrations this year. To kick it off, we had Thanksgiving with both of our families. Thanksgiving Day was spent with my side and the Saturday after we have our Goetz Thanksgiving. It really makes the day soooo much more relaxing when we do not have to bounce around from house to house! As a family tradition (a long time running) all of the Goetz siblings and Grandma and Papa head to the Christmas tree farm the Sunday after Thanksgiving. We always have so much fun picking out the "best" trees together and playing football between the rows. The kids love running around and trying not to get sand burrs stuck to them. NOT ALWAYS SUCCESSFUL!!!! It was fun this year being able to watch Isaiah run around with his cousins and enjoy our special tradition. I look forward to getting our tree picked out and up as soon as November hits!!  

Once we get our tree up and the house all decorated, the Christmas parties start instantly and don't end until the new year. In the beginning of December we have a Goetz Christmas party for all the Goetz cousins, aunts, uncles, siblings, etc. Since we are such a large group, we meet at a local elementary school where we fill up the cafeteria and take over the gym! It is always a joy to see my in-law aunts, uncle, and cousins. It is fun to catch up with everyone and admire how much the children have grown. (It is also a challenge to remember all the names of the kids and who they belong to; remember, I have 17 Goetz nieces and nephews alone!!!!)
This year we started something new...... usually my husband and all the siblings and spouses draw names and exchange gifts for Christmas. We all talked it over and decided we didn't need anything from each other. Instead, we all had our First Annual Goetz Sibling Progressive Dinner!!!! It was so much fun! We were all kid free for the night! Did I mention how much of a blessing it is that we all live so close together and that almost both sets of parents (for all the siblings) are within 20 minutes from us??!!?! Makes it nice when you need a baby sitter!! Anyways, so we all meet at Luke and Michelle's house first. We loaded up in the 14 passenger van and headed off to Ben and my house. At our house we had appetizers and played a game. Then it was off to Noel and Kristen's for soup! The 3rd course of our meal was salad at Brian and Janelle's. Did you know that you can move an Oreo from your forehead to your mouth with only your facial muscles?!?! YOU CAN, AND YOU SHOULD TRY IT! MADE FOR SOME GREAT LAUGHS!!!! We all loaded back into the van and headed to Matt and Janel's for the main course of salmon, veggies, and macaroni (my husband's favorite). Janel put together the 12 Days of Christmas Singing Game. Since there were 12 of us total, we each had a line from the famous song. Luckily none of us can sing so it made the game very..... entertaining!! YES IT IS ON VIDEO!! Most of the time we were unable to sing we were laughing so hard! Our last stop was at Nate and Anne's house where we toasted up our own creme brulee. First time I have ever had it, and it was good!! We all had a great night together celebrating Christmas as brothers and sisters!!!

Lastly, we had a few Christmas celebrations like we do every year. My mom and dad hosted Christmas this year. It was fun pigging out on great food and playing a few games she had prepared! Yes I was a top winner tying with my aunt! We draw names to exchange gifts for each other, so it was fun seeing every one's reaction to their new treasurers! By the way Mike, I LOVE my blanket!!!! Before my grandparents had to fly back to Arizona (poor babies in their warm weather, I know!), they were able to come see our new house! I love showing it off to our family and friends because they know how long we have dreamed of owning our own home in the perfect location! We then had Christmas with my husband's family on Christmas Eve. It has always been a tight squeeze in Grandma and Papa's living room, but we make it work!!! Pretty soon their walls will be busting at the seams!! The kids are always anxious to open their gifts, so this year they all had to chant "I love Papa" before we could begin! Then it was Christmas at our house with Ben, Isaiah, Piper, and myself. We had fun watching Piper open her new bone and treats, and Isaiah not caring about anything but his basketball and Mickey Mouse couch! Since my dad's family all lives in Ohio, we head over their around New Year's. Again, it makes it very easy to not have to bounce all over in one quick day. The young kids get gifts from everyone, but us 'old mature adults' do a white elephant! My cousin James was thrilled to try on his new snake skin pleather leggings!!!! He and Ben made a cute couple when Ben opened his gold and black sequin zebra belly shirt!!!! We always have a blast in Ohio and it is nice seeing our family that we do not see very much!

We are very blessed to be able to celebrate the holidays with our family! I missed my brother Luke and his family this year (they are in Montana) but I can't complain too much because we had them for 2 months this summer!!! While we often get caught up in the hustle and bustle of Christmas decorations, gifts, parties, cookies, and family get togethers, we have to slow down and remember that WITHOUT JESUS CHRIST THERE IS NO CHRISTMAS!!!! We all celebrate His birth this time of year, but we have to also focus our minds on the reason for his birth; Jesus was sent here by his Father to die on the cross for our sins, to save us and give us eternal life in heaven if we accept him into our hearts, believe in him (not Santa!), and put our faith and trust in Him! I was thrilled to start our advent calendar tradition this year. Each night we read scripture about the birth of Jesus and the REAL CHRISTMAS STORY! I pray that as this New Year begins, we can all focus our minds on Christ and God's love for us! Accept Him in and watch your life change forever! Grow in Him and your relationship with the Lord!!! I will leave you with my favorite verse...

John 14:6 "Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father, except through me."

A Time to Celebrate!!!

When I think of Halloween, I think of my mom!! This year, we were able to celebrate her 50th birthday on Halloween. Not a day I would want to have my birthday on, but she has put up with it for 50 years!!! 2 years ago, on my mom's birthday, my husband and I went up to Chicago to visit my mom and dad. NO they don't live there, and NO we weren't going out to a fancy restaurant to celebrate her birthday. Instead, we were headed to Northwestern University Hospital where my mother was receiving treatment for Multiple Myloma Cancer. It was a very scary time for our family. We had so many prayer chains and people all across the world praying for her!! We knew that God was taking care of her no matter what the outcome of the situation may be. Makes me think of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendego in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3). They had faith that God would bring them out of the furnace alive, but if he didn't the 3 men were still giving God the glory and the praise.
When we celebrated my mom's birthday that day, it was one of the best days she had while she was up there. Things were starting to look good and she was feeling "better". At least it seemed she had a great day when we left that evening. The next day, on November 1st, my mom took a turn for the worst. She was facing some serious complications and ended up being on a vent for a week. For the first few days, I stayed away. My dad was in constant contact with me, and he thought it would be best if Ben and I did not see her like this. We had a great memory of her on her birthday, and we were clinging onto that. We decided to head back to Chicago a few days later. I was terrified of what was about to be before my eyes. I have never seen anyone on a vent, and who wants to see their mother in that state?!!!! Mom had tubes and wires coming out of her like she was the next Frankenstein! As we took in the information from the doctors, they were going to preform a surgery that gave her a 50/50 chance of coming out of it alive. With more prayers going up, the blessings kept on coming down! Mom came out of the surgery fine (minus a colon and all her large intestines) but she was still with us!!!! Praise the Lord!!! Long story short, she had a long road of recovery and changes ahead of her. She was released to come home on December 15th! It was an extra special Christmas for our family that year! Mom returns to Northwestern for checkups with the doctors every few weeks. As of now, they are not seeing any more myloma in her body! Praise God! Her numbers are looking great and she is back to work full time!!! So when we celebrate her birthday, it is always a great time for our family. We remember to give the honor and glory to God because he was with Mom every step of the way!! Needless to say, he was also with the rest of us because we needed him just as much!!
Over the stretch of the next year, God blessed my older brothers and I with babies!!! My brother Luke and his wife Kate had Olivia in August of 2011, Ben and I had Isaiah in September of 2011, and Levi and Laura had Annabelle in December of 2011!!! My mom (and dad) was thrilled to be able to meet her grand babies! She loves to spoil them, rock them to sleep, and kiss them all over!!! That's what Grandma's are for right!!!!?! I know that my children will be told all about their Grandma's journey and how blessed they are to have each and every day with her! Happy 50th Birthday Mom!! We love you!!!
Now, on to some more cheerful and exciting news!!! My mom now has to share her birthday with our newest addition my niece Martynn Joy Goetz!! Martynn is the 18th grand baby on the Goetz side (our new addition due in April will be #19)!!! She was born yesterday morning, and joins her big brother Carson, sisters Amaleah, Alivia, Ainsley, and big brother Oakley. We are so excited to meet her, but we will let mommy rests a few more days!! She needs a break after caring for 6 kids!! :) As we gathered at my sister-in-laws yesterday for our Halloween evening, it was such a blessing to see Isaiah with his Goetz Family cousins! No matter what side of the family they come from, I know Isaiah will be loved by his grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. God has blessed our families beyond measure and that is what we celebrate when it comes to Halloween!!!!

 Mom and my cousin Breckyn April 2011

 

Aunt Shelly (mom's perfect stem cell donor match), Mom, Uncle Tim, and Dad celebrating the big 50!!!!

 

Martynn Joy Goetz 1 day old!

Birthday Fun

Well it seems like forever since I have written a new post (probably because it has been forever!!!). With moving out of the old house and into the new one :) there has been no time for me to sit down and write. Finally I feel like we have the majority of the work done, and I am able to catch up on the important things around here! Like this blog! hahahahaha
In the time that I was away, our little man celebrated his first birthday! We had a fun day. While I was hoping to have his party in our new house, it ended up being our last shebang at the old place. It was a nice way to leave the old house behind. We had a Mickey Mouse birthday for Isaiah this year. I had so much fun creating his decorations and planning the big event. In the end, it felt more like a party for mommy's hard work than it did for Isaiah! We had a great evening celebrating with our family and friends. Isaiah is so blessed to have so many wonderful people in his life that love, care, and pray for him!!!!
On to the fun stuff...

In November of 2011 we went to Florida for a family wedding. While we were down there, my aunt and uncle spoiled us with a trip to Disney!! It was Isaiah's (2 months at the time) and Ben's first time going. We had such a blast! From that time on, I knew I wanted to throw him a Mickey party. We all have to get our inspiration from somewhere... for his party, most of these ideas were found on Pinterest. I just added my "Leah" touch to them!

Isaiah's smash cake: bought it at wal-mart, added some oreo ears and sprinkled it with crushed oreos. I also made 48 of these Mickey cupcakes found on Pinterest. (I did not cut the oreos to make smaller ears, why create more work for yourself?!?!?)

 

For the food and drinks, I used my wonderful Cricut to create these cute characters...

 

 

Along with the characters that labeled our food, I made a few more special decorations for Zaiah.

 

 

I think he liked it! The hard work is all worth that smile right there!!!

 

I had way too much fun using my Cricut making these banners!!! When I went to Party City to order his balloons, ok I don't know how to make those yet ;), I was excited when I found balloons with his name on them!!!

 

The last thing that I made was a photo timeline banner. I saw the idea from a lady's blog that I follow when she posted about her son's first birthday party.

 

On Isaiah's actual birthday 9/11, he opened his gifts from mommy and daddy. My parents, sister-in-law, and niece came over to help us celebrate. (It was a special treat because my brother and his family live in Montana!!!)

 

 

 I hope you enjoyed seeing all the fun stuff I made for our special boy!!!! Remember, IF I CAN DO IT, YOU CAN TOO!!!!

 

 

 

Abigail

This week has been a new experience for us. Last Wednesday we had a unique day to say the least. We put our Irish Setter, Abigail, down after she was having numerous health issues. Then later that afternoon we closed on our new house!!! It was hard to celebrate the closing and be excited when we had to go through the loss of our first baby! Abigail was a great dog! She came from the pound, and we could never figure out why someone would get rid of such a wonderful dog. When she passed away we believe she was about 9 years old. We don't know for sure so we went with the guess from the vet. We also have a 2 year old (puppy) German Shepherd Bloodhound mix; Piper. The first several days without Abigail we were keeping an extra close eye on Piper. She would walk out on the step and look for Abi under the tree where she always laid. For a few days, she didn't want to be outside for more than 5 minutes. This is just not Pipe!!! She has two of the strongest noses combined into one dog, so she was always tracking moles and catching birds. After a week of special attention, Piper seems to be doing much better!! We have already noticed the change in her. She seems to have grown up over night. She is calmer and a lot less aggressive now that there is no competition. It has been a week and there is still a bone laying on the floor in the living room. When Abigail was here they each had their own and never put it down!! Now she is just trying to keep it away from Isaiah!!!!
Speaking of Isaiah, we knew that he wouldn't remember Abigail when he is older, but we haven't noticed him looking for her now. I thought it would take longer, but Isaiah seems to not care that it's just him and his best buddy Piper!!! He always liked Abigail, but with her being an older dog she never had the energy to play with him like Piper does.
Ben and I are doing okay with Abi being gone as well. Every once and a while we bring her up and laugh at how heavy she used to breath. We don't miss that noise!!!! Ben buried her by his family's pond near their old dog, Gator. He was a Rottweiler. We have been down there a few times to see her tree branch grave marker, but we are also farm kids, and we don't get hung up on the emotions of losing a dog!!! Guess that comes from raising your own steers, pigs, chickens, turkeys, and rabbits, and knowing they were going to market. (Well the bunnies we took to Grandpa Oman's to run around his farm although rabbit meat does taste good.)
We are looking forward to only dealing with training one dog over at the new house. With moving, Isaiah only being 1 (almost his birthday is 9/11), and a new baby coming in April, we are honestly relieved to have one less thing to worry about! But we are going to miss Abigail, she was a gentle giant with a mean bark!!!

 

 fall 2009                                  just got Piper June 2010

                 first meeting Isaiah, September 12, 2011

 the day before we put her down          saying good bye

              our last family picture of all of us