"Cool Dad" Craft FEATURE!

It's ALWAYS exciting when bollingwith5 gets featured on a website!! It happened again!!! Check it out HERE or below. Thank you redtri for loving my "Cool Dad" craft enough to feature Bollingwith5 on your website.

You can also click HERE for my actual post on how to replicate this craft.  I am amazed that this simple and personal craft, of ours, has over 730 repins on Pinterest too!

Ty Guy IS President!!!!!

Our little VP has been promoted to President!!! His peers voted and they PICKED the right one. He arrived to school with a blue and yellow, (school colors), polka dotted tie and his speech in hand.  I arrived about 8:00 am to cheer him on.  The speeches began prompt at 8:15 am.  It was torture listening to all of the candidates' speeches because, since Ty was running for President, I had to wait until the very last 5 speeches to finally watch him in action.  

Ty sat patiently with the other candidates as each one, individually, gave their speech.  

AND THEN... it was Ty's turn to deliver his speech!

I had to have someone else use my video camera to record his speech because my hands were shaking too much. LOL!

He spoke VERY clearly.  He accentuated his points awesome.  AND I couldn't tell that he was a tad bit nervous. He told me afterwards that his heart was pounding. You gotta admit, speaking in front of not ONLY a live audience, but also your peers has definitely must be tough/nerve wracking.

 Hand on hip.  SOOOOO funny!

I think Darren is RIGHT. NOTHING could top Ty's speech and the crowds' reaction like his speech LAST year.  This year, they had so many new rules (ie. NO PROPS).  Ty had a REALLY funny joke that he was going to say, in the very beginning of his speech, you know, to get the crowd LAUGHING and attentive, but when he turned his speech in to get it approved, the joke got denied.  BOO!!!! Anyway, I'm sharing the joke BELOW, so you can laugh before hearing his speech.  Remember, this joke sorta goes along with the "PICK the right one" for President slogan.  

JOKE: What's the difference between KIDS and BROCCOLI?

ANSWER: KIDS DON'T EAT BROCCOLI!!!!!!!

The teacher who approved the speeches said that she was just concerned the kindergarteners would be talking about boogers all day.  Okay, okay understandable, but come on... that was as clean as you can get and still laugh.

DRUM ROLL..... And now for his speech! Haha.

Tyson is really making Darren and I very proud.  Between his work on the field, as quarter back, his amazing grades, and this new privilege to serve his school as President is so amazing.  We can ONLY HOPE and PRAY that he uses all of these blessings to advance the Kingdom of God.  We continue to remind Ty to remain HUMBLE too! ALL GLORY TO GOD for this accomplishment. This should be a really exciting, LAST YEAR, for Ty, at Fort Lewis Elementary School.  #fifthgrade

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD.  "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

Lilah and Jaxon's FIRST Visit to Build-A-Bear

Two weeks ago, I took Lilah and Jaxon for a "back to school"/well done on potty training TREAT! This was L/J's first time EVER going to Build-A-Bear. I wasn't sure what to expect, nor were they. As soon as we entered the store, the twins were worse than a kid in a candy store. They were so overwhelmed and astonished at the colors and the massive amounts of options. As was I. We went in order, "pick me, hear me, stuff me, fluff me, dress me." It took a little bit of time just to get to the stuff part. They were just in awe of every little detail. By the time we made it to dress the animals, I was DONE! The dressing aspect is the most challenging part because there are way too many choices. AND my idea of a cutely dressed cat and dog were not AT ALL what they desired to dress their animals in. LOL! Needless to say, we DID IT! I refused to spend another moment in that store, so we did not invest in "registering" their stuffed animals or naming them. DO NOT enter that store UNLESS you plan to spend a pretty penny. It is NOT a cheap outing. The cashier even told me that at Christmas time, some parents spend a minimum of $250 on ONE stuffed animal. SICK!!!! Regardless, these furry friends have become part of our home now. Beats having a real animal to care for :)

To view all of the photos taken that day, view the photo album below! If you wish to view them in a bigger format, just double click on the photo album below. 

Officially Potty Training for Good!

(Jax's 1st poopie in the potty ever. I am terribly sorry for grossing you out like this, but I had to document it.)

I've had it! I've been changing diapers for well over 29 months now X 2 and I'm over it. On Monday, I shut the doors on diapers for Lilah (except at nap and bedtime) and Tuesday the door was closed for JAX. Monday, I put Lilah in diapers and forced myself out of the house. I figured being physically removed from my home, with a toddler or two, in underwear, would definitely put a real life feel to the potty training world. On Monday, we went to the park, to Bed, Bath, and Beyond, to Kroger, and to Kirkland's Home Good Store. In a 5 hour time frame, Lilah only had one accident. I think it was that she was truly just preoccupied while playing with her friends at the park. Other than that, she peed in 2 out of the 3 stores we went in. Later that day, Jax, who was still in diapers, decided to poop in the potty. He did the hardest part FIRST. On Tuesday, I repeated the day by running more errands, but this time I left our home with not only ONE toddler but two toddlers in underwear. YAY!!!!! We ran errands again. NO accidents. Yesterday, I took the twins to the duck pond and the post office... no accidents. I have been transporting their pink potty everywhere with me, so I think that's why there have been virtually no accidents. Last night, at Church, was a different story. They arrived at church with no diapers and both Lilah and Jaxon had accidents. Today, we went to the "park", on top of Mill Mountain, and we were there from 10:50 pm - 1:30 pm. NO ACCIDENTS!!! I am so excited and so very proud of Lilah and Jax.

Check this FACT out....

We've changed over 10,440 diapers since the birth of Lilah and Jaxon. CAN YOU IMAGINE?

Every morning when the first "pee pee" goes in the potty, I reward the twins with a "dum dum" lollipop and 5 marbles added to their marble jar. EVERY TIME the twins use the potty, we do "the potty dance". They get a real kick out of it and are extremely proud of themselves. Enjoy viewing the "potty dance". Again,I apologize for the documented poopie. I just couldn't resist. What can I say? I am a proud momma and beyond thrilled to say goodbye to diapers.

Potty training two at one time is quite a busy task. It's fun training a boy and a girl because it puts a different twist on the job each time. Jax has to hold his pee pee down and when he's done he's instructed to shake his little thing and say, "ding-a-ling-a-ling", getting off the excess pee. Lilah just sits and when she's done she wipes while saying, "front to back. front to back. front to back!" Oh the joys of potty training.

Evidence that the marble jar is working....

One of my BIGGEST pet peeves is crumbs. No matter how HARD I try to drive eating over your plate home, the concept is just not understood. You'd be amazed at how many crumbs a bite size ritz peanut butter filled cracker makes in our home.

While upstairs getting the twins ready for the pool, Tyson was enjoying that exact snack. With a paper plate and placemat available to him, the crumbs apparently still took place. Normally, on any other given day, Tyson could care LESS about the crumbs. Never has. But today, upon my return to the main floor, look what I spotted.

AND THIS WAS DONE ENTIRELY AT HIS OWN WILL.

Yes, it's absolutely DISGUSTING that on my dinner table sits a dust pan and hand broom along with my child's snack, but it's MUSIC to my ears. It sends chill bumps down my spine. My child knows where the dust pan is? My child knows how to use the dust pan? My child DESIRES to clean up after himself? Now, if he could only LEARN to put the dust pan/hand broom back, then he'd get a marble. Yup, that's right. He didn't get a marble. You can't do the job 50% of the way in our house and get rewarded for it. I'm hardcore, huh?

This post leaves me seriously wondering, why didn't I start this marble jar incentive SOOOONER!