The Garden Hose Bidet

One of my jobs as mom is to make fun situations out of the inevitable embarrassing accidents that my children will experience. My creativity was forced to be put to work a few days ago when Dawson had a little faux pas.

Ironing curtains, I heard the back door open and I figured Dawson had decided to come in and take a break from riding his tricycle. Madalynn came in a few minutes later and said in a sympathetic voice, "Mom, I think Dawson may have pooped outside. He's getting some paper towels. I think he's trying to clean it up."

Preventing any further "damage" is my first priority when any kind of accident happens, so my feet quickly took me to the other room as my mind prepared to stay calm, give grace and understanding while getting to the bottom of the story at the same time. Dawson has been potty-trained for a solid month now, and it wasn't like him to have an accident. Why didn't he make it to the toilet, I wondered.

Background into my husbands potty training experience gave me some wisdom and insight as my mind went back to the stories Cheryl has told me.

Cheryl explained how, when Travis was around five, his underwear somehow kept disappearing. She would notice fewer pairs going through the laundry but kept buying some more, assuming they were probably getting lost. Travis, in the meantime, was craftily burying his underpants. Why? He was too involved in playing outside to want to stop and visit the toilet when he had to do his doo. He would poop his pants because he was so busy playing, and then bury them to hide the evidence and then simply get a fresh pair to replace the buried ones. Cheryl finally investigated and discovered his secret underwear burying scheme when one too many pair of underwear kept disappearing!

Cheryl pondered the real reason for Travis burying his underwear. Travis was, after all, totally capable of using the toiled and did except for when he was outside. She realized playing was more of a priority than getting to the toilet. Great creativity is needed to persuade a busy five-year old boy to stop his outside playing long enough to use the potty. Cheryl said, "Travis, what is something you REALLY want?" Travis said he wanted a pair of cowboy chaps. Cheryl said, "Okay, Travis, I will make you some of your own cowboy pants, but ONLY if you stop pooping in your pants and burying them." Chaps were a powerful bargaining tool, apparently, because he stopped pooping his pants!

I arrived on scene and Dawson was standing at with the cabinet under the sink open with poop down his leg and a wad of paper towels in his hand. He was trying to figure out how he was going to, as quietly as possible, tear the paper towels off the roll. I startled him when I walked in and he looked up at me with an expression that said, "I know I did a bad thing, but the terrible smell and feeling from poop all over my leg are consequence enough." I calmly asked Dawson to come outside and show me where his underwear were. Dawson felt ashamed and didn't want to tell me, so Justis, also sympathetic to his brother's hurt pride, came out and helped me take care of it.

Dawson watched as I picked up his soiled underwear and took them in to the washing machine and came back out.

"All right, Dawson," I said with a grin. "Come over and stand on the grass. I'm going to help you get cleaned up!"

An inquisitive smile crept onto Dawson's face. His curiosity was piqued.

I picked up the hose and turned it on, and said, "I'm going to spray you off, okay?"

With a giggle and an "okay" from Dawson, I cleaned him off with the spray of the hose. Keep in mind, here in Louisiana the water that comes out of the hose is MUCH warmer than hose water in Kansas!

My attention was needed at the site of the accident after I got Dawson cleaned up. There it was. A big pile of poop was right beside Dawson's little tricycle. I cleaned it up and realized the good time Dawson was having on that tricycle preoccupied his urge to go sit on the nearest potty. I smiled. Like father, like son, I guess! :)

Madalynn Announces Career Plans

I hope Walt Disney World has a degree in princess. Madalynn announced today that she WILL be a career princess at Disney World when she grows up.

"You know, I'll put on a pretty dress and go say hi to people and stuff like that."

Travis encouraged her, with a grin, "I bet there are LOTS of happy people at Walt Disney World."

I am tickled pink when our children share their dreams with us. Travis and I both want our kids to exercise the gifts that God has given them and contemplate how God would have them use those gifts in the "now" and in the future. Madalynn certainly puts a smile on many-a-face here in the "now!" Only God knows what he has planned for Madalynn's future. Whether God ultimately calls her to be a princess at Walt Disney world or something else we will be there to encourage her, celebrate with her and support her, just as our parents have done in our lives.

I thank both my parents and Travis's parents for the patient support, wisdom and encouragement they have given and still are giving us in following our hearts and God's heart. We hope we do just as well in extending that same patient encouragement, support and wisdom to our children.

We're excited to see where God takes all of our kids. No doubt God has a unique life adventure already planned for each one of them!

Rub-a-dub-dub, Two Babies in the Tub!

Dawson and Jillian have finally found some neutral ground, I mean water. :)

Dawson and Jillian love taking a bath together. The bathtub is one of the few places Dawson doesn't try to take Jillian's toys and where Jillian doesn't feel threatened by Dawson's presence! They share the boats and dolphins we have for bath toys.

Dawson did try to wash Jillian's hair one day and dumped a big cupful of water over her head. I came to the rescue, assuming she would be scared. She just opened her big eyes and smiled, though, when she finally got her breath after the water stopped running over her nose and mouth.

Bath time for Dawson and Jillian also helps me while I'm in front of the mirror getting ready myself. I can make sure they're safe and they're in the same room where I can see them, and they're busy and happy playing together. Thank you, God, for the bath tub!

Justis the "Twisty" Hunter

"Mom! I think I just saw our shed move!" Justis nervously exclaimed as he looked out our dining room window into the down pouring rain today.

Today we are experiencing our first tropical storm ever, Hurricane Humberto, which made landfall last night as a category 1 hurricane near Galveston, TX. Humberto was downgraded to a tropical storm early this morning as it slowly passed through southwestern and central Louisiana. The eye of Humberto isn't really near us, but we are experiencing periods of very heavy rainfall and an occasional breeze.

Justis is our cautious child, and storms are something he doesn't completely understand yet, so he's very leery about them. He sat wide eyed when we watched "Hurricane on the Bayou" at the IMAX theatre as he saw film of Hurricane Katrina making landfall and the destruction it left behind.

Questions about what a hurricane is poured out of his mouth after he watched "Hurricane on the Bayou." One of our conversations went something like this:

"Mom, umm, is a hurricane the same as a twisty (his word for tornado)?"

Contemplating my response carefully, I replied, "Well, Justis, a hurricane kind looks like a huge twisty, except it lasts longer than a twisty and the winds are sometimes stronger."

"Oh. Will a hurricane come to our house?"

"It's possible, but a hurricane probably wouldn't be as strong when it gets as far as our house. Hurricane Katrina passed by our house when we didn't live here, but at our house it only rained a lot, the wind was strong for a while, some trees fell down and the power was out for about a week. The damage at our house wasn't like the damage the hurricane caused in New Orleans like the stuff you saw on the movie."

Justis and I repeat the hurricane discussion almost every time he hears thunder or the mention of a hurricane on the weather channel. I reassure him that God is watching over us and that Travis and I will make sure our family is safe if a hurricane is coming our way.

The Weather Channel's tropical update is something I make sure to watch at least once a day to make sure I know if there's a tropical wave, storm or hurricane I need to keep my eye on. The first words Justis heard when I turned on the Weather Channel this morning were "hurricane," and "Louisiana."

"Mom!!!!??? The guy said there's a hurricane in Louisiana!"

"Justis, there's nothing to worry about. The only thing that is going to happen here is we're going to get lots of rain."

Our conversation about the "Louisiana hurricane" apparently didn't pacify him. Before getting out of the van this morning at story time at the library, Justis cautiously peeked his head out of the sliding door and peered up into the raining sky to make sure the coast was clear. Rain started pouring down when we got home and he nervously walked from room to room looking up at the sky through the windows. Justis isn't even sure what a hurricane looks like, but one thing is crystal clear to him. He doesn't want to be caught in one!

He has categorized tornadoes and hurricanes into two categories that make sense to him. He calls a tornado a twisty and a hurricane a REALLY big twisty. I have officially dubbed Justis the family "twisty" hunter. I think I'll leave the Weather Channel off today!

Great Ball of Fire!

Jillian is a sassy little gal with a little fire under her skirt (as some people describe a feisty lady)! Personality radiates from her now, as she's starting to develop her own likes, dislikes and STRONG opinions.

Cruising around the furniture and crawling make it easier for her to explore and decide what kind of opinions she will choose to make about the people, objects and goings-ons in our home.

Towels in the drawer at the bottom left side of the sink are the bomb to Jillian. Many a capful of laundry detergent has been dispensed to clean and reclean the towels she unfolds and leaves on the floor for her siblings to step on.

The bathtub is fascinating, in Jillian's opinion. She hears water being drawn for a bath and heads toward the bathroom, convinced SHE is the one getting the bath every time. She is disappointed those times it's not HER turn. Standing at the tub watching whomever is bathing and knocking all of the soaps and toys into the tub, however, almost makes watching the bather as fun a bathing!

Jillian is most definitely NOT a vegetarian. Vegetables and fruits are just fine for her palate, but she has a taste and nose for savory foods, particularly meat. Cheddar wurst sausages are Jillian's favorite. Graham crackers don't even hold a candle to a piece of that sausage in Jillian's opinion.

Jillian perceives Dawson to be her #1 nemesis. He likes the same food, toys and people she likes. He gets sneaky and tries to steal, persuade or manipulate her food toys and favorite people away from her. Dawson is no match for Jillian, however. Her angry eyebrows are her way of telling him, "Back off, Buddy, or you'll be sorry." Screeching, pushing and shoving meet Dawson immediately if he does not surrender to the angry eyebrows right away. She will push, screech and throw a tantrum until he leaves her alone.

We have a lot of fun watching God unfold her little personality right before the family's eyes.

Rico Suave

The scent of freshly bathed and lotioned babies and the clean breeze of Travis when he has just showered, smelling like soap and cologne, are two of my favorite smells in the world. I now get to smell both delights all at once, except instead of Travis smelling of cologne, now it's Dawson!

Dawson's morning routine is not complete without "smell goods." Smell Goods is Dawson's word for cologne. Smell goods must, in Dawson's opinion, add that special touch to his outfit of big boy briefs, shorts and shirt. He layers his smell goods over his Baby Magic baby lotion after his morning bath. He's convinced that he MUST smell twice as good when he has both lotion and his smell goods on! I think so.

Travis and I dispense the smell goods. Dawson comes to whichever of us is in front of the bathroom mirror and says, "I want some smell goods." We spritz his shirt and then one of his wrists. Rubbing his wrists together, he holds them up near his face, takes a big sniff, grins and walks off to go play. We just laugh, glad that Dawson takes time to enjoy the simple pleasures of life!

The Davis Family Fais do do

Laissez les bon temps rouler! This strange-looking string of words is required vocabulary for a Louisiana resident. Laissez les bon temps rouller is "Let the good times roll!" in French, of course.

The six of us let the good times roll Sunday night with our very own Fais do do! Fais do do is French and means an all night get-together/dance. Our fais do do didn't include the traditional bourbon, Cajun cuisine and zydeco music, however. A family-sized tent, complete with a family of six, sausages, s'mores, sleeping bags, a lantern and some matches and, of course, the "music" of the chirping insects and frogs made for an exceptional family-style fais do do!

Sunday afternoon, September 2nd, we set up tent and got our camp site ready in plenty of time to leisurely cook supper over the fire, go swimming in the lake and have s'mores before zipping into our tents for the night.

Listening and watching a tent in which Madalynn, Dawson and Justis are holed up together is quite a show. Travis and I sat quietly chatting while they were SUPPOSED to be winding down and falling asleep. The lantern they kept turning on gave away the goings-ons in the tent and we could hear their sneaky plotting whispers. They had a great time together just being brothers and sister.

Jillian's camping trip was more of a sensory experience for her this time around because she's getting around more. She learned what wollerin' (Kansas lingo)in the dirt feels like when she finally got brave enough to veer off of the nice, big clean tarp we had put her and her toys on. She peeked through her tent window from her porta-crib and cried when we put her in bed for the night. She quickly gave into sleep, though.

Swimming in the Lake is probably the kids' highlight of camping at Percy Quinn. Justis lit up like a Christmas tree when he stepped into the water. Jillian is a little fish, so Travis took her out in her diaper and held her, too. One of Madalynn's Crocs made a fine holder for the clam shells she gathered for her "collection." Dawson stuck to Travis's side, not surprisingly.

Weary from staying awake until the kids FINALLY went to sleep, Travis and I were not ready to get up Labor Day morning when the kids did. The sun hadn't even fully made it's appearance in the pre-dawn sky before the kids were up and screeching and laughing LOUDLY, so as to wake all of the rest of the campers in a one-mile radius up! The words, "Go back to bed," do not register in the mind of a camping child who sees the beginnings of the morning sun!

Kudos to my ever-so-manly husband! Travis knows how to camp. I was a girl scout, but I cried almost the whole week of camp because I was homesick! 'Nuf said. I am an idiot when it comes to being an "outdoors woman." Travis is a pro at packing that minivan chock full and getting everything set up and creating a fire out of very few resources! He also kills spiders, bees, wasps and anything else creepy crawly that "threatens" me or one of the children. Thank you, Scott, for teaching Travis well and for the air mattress and pump you added to our camping collection for Travis's birthday. My night's sleep was much more peaceful this camping trip!

I can still smell campfire smoke after washing my hair twice since our family adventure, and I am still EXHAUSTED. Smoky hair and tired eyes are such a small price to pay for the family time and bonding that happens every time we go camping, though.