Life's Events

Life has a funny way of taking control sometimes without us even realizing it. JJ was recently offered a position in the Everett, Washington area and that means we will be relocating. It is funny how things happen and then it is like you are on a treadmill that is at top speed. In some ways it doesn't even seem real to me yet, because I have not been up to Everett yet to look around and come to the realization that this will be our new home.

I have never had to move much in my life. When I was growing up, yeah we moved but from one side of town to the other. I was at a different school for one year and then went to the same middle school as all of my old friends, so it wasn't that big of a deal. I also moved of course when I went to college and again when I moved in with JJ. JJ on the other hand has moved numerous times in his life, so is somewhat experienced with this. I have so many emotions about the move, most of them normal and also most of them positive. When we were deciding what we wanted to do as far as moving was concerned we weighed all the positives and negatives and really the only negative we could come up with is that our network of family and friends would not be with us. Everything else was a better situation for us. We will make a new network of friends up there, but it will be nothing compared to what we will be leaving behind. The fact that everyone has been so supportive of this move has meant the world to us and has made it a little easier to grasp. We won't be SO far away that we can't come back in a day, but still getting used to the fact that we can't just call someone up and say "Hey do you want to do dinner tonight?" won't be an option...

It's just funny how life can take over sometimes and when you get into that grove of your comfort zone you never know when you will hit that speed bump that will knock you out of it. So now the planning begins. So much to do, so little time!! My transfer goes through on September 1st, so we will probably be heading north Labor Day weekend!! That really isn't that far away!! We need to find a place to stay and find a daycare for Lizzie (one of my biggest concerns!!) In the end though it will all work out!! I will make sure I update this blog with happenings in our lives as well as put pictures on another website to share with everyone too!!

Potty Training Success!!!

The life of a parent with a toddler is full of adventures and one of them include potty training!!! Luckily we have a very good little girl that is cooperative!!! We started setting her on the potty about 5-6 months ago so that she could just "try" to go potty and so that she would get the feeling of what it was like. We would put her there in the mornings after she woke up and before and after baths. Occasionally she would go. We were starting to get discouraged as she was approaching 3 and still not fully capable of telling us when she needed to go.

Once we told her that she would get in trouble if she went poo-poo in her pants, she got that down quick!! She only got in trouble once and from then on she would tell us. That happened about 1 month and a half before her birthday. With feeling the success of not having to change poopy diapers any more we started in on the pee-pee side. Surprisingly that didn't take long either. She would go when we would set her on there, but wouldn't tell us when she needed to go. We got a second training toilet to keep downstairs so that she could go when the moment came and found that to be a successful solution.

With about two weeks to go before her third birthday we started putting big girl panties on her in the evenings for a couple of hours and told her not to go in her big girl panties. It seemed like it just clicked from that moment on!! She is now successfully potty trained!! Now the next step is to do night time potty training, which we think is pretty close to being done too!! We shall see... All I know is that we don't have to spend money on diapers for a while!!!

Sports and the Durfees

Here is a picture of JJ and I in San Francisco. We will celebrate 5 years in July. We have gone on several different road trips and they tend to be fun and full of adventure. We have travelled to SF twice now. Once just the two of us and the last time, when this picture was taken, we went with his younger sister and her husband. And notice the SF Giants attire I am sporting, meaning, yes we did go to a Giants game. Both times we went to a Giants game. They are fun to go to and the park is a beautiful one. He is HUGE baseball fan and I know you will be shocked to learn this, but the Giants are his favorite team.

He had me pick a team to support, so I chose the Cleveland Indians. Why? You might ask. Well, I grew up going to Ohio each summer for a week for about 10+ years in a row. What is in Ohio? Well that is where the World Championships for the All-American Soap Box Derby is held and my family was really into it when I was younger. My brother and I have moved on, but the parents are still very involved. So, that took place in Akron, Ohio which is about 1 hour south of Cleveland. And the first professional baseball game I ever went to was with JJ and it was an Indians game. So, I decided I was going to call them my favorite team. They have sucked the past couple of years, but I smell playoffs this year!!! They are leading their division!! I am also a Cleveland Browns fan too because they are usually the underdogs and again for the reason I like the Indians, I have spent a lot of time in Ohio, might as well support the teams!! Next to the Blazers, the Cavs are my second fave basketball team.

Who would have thought I would have favorite teams when it comes to sports, but my husband made me pick and his other rule is that I have to stick with them. I can't be wishy washy if they don't have a good season or something like that. I have to stick with them through thick and thin. So, when it comes to football season, I hear it all about the Browns, or as I like to call them the Brownies.

Go Indians!! Go Browns!! Nice try Cavs...maybe next year!!!