Last weekend was FULL of fun. We started out the weekend on Friday night with our night at the ballpark when we went to see the Rough Riders (see blog post below). We are usually low-key on Friday nights, so it was a nice surprise.

Then, on Saturday morning during Daddy Time, Billy took Porter to eat Mickey Mouse pancakes, ride the "tractors" (lawn mowers) at Lowe's and then they went to the Fireman's Picnic with Nanny and Pop Pop. Porter thoroughly enjoyed the morning and he was exhausted by the time they got home! He took a great nap and when he woke up, we played outside in the backyard for a little while because the weather was so gorgeous.

Next, I told him we had to get ready because we were going to a Mother/Son Dance! He wasn't sure what that meant, but when I told him ponies and hot dogs were involved he was ready to get dressed up to go out on the town!

To say the Mother/Son Dance was a success is not doing it justice. It was PERFECT! I guess my expectations were low. It was hosted by Lifetime Fitness in Allen. A friend of mine told me about it and I KNEW I couldn't miss out on the chance to take my little man out on a date, just the two of us. We made a big deal about it and we both got dressed up and you could tell he was unsure, but excited!

We had a mini photo shoot before we left, then said good-bye to Daddy (and Daddy reminded Porter to take care of his girlfriend!) and had the time of our life! The gymnasium was decorated like prom! (or at least the kind of prom I went to! Ha!) It was precious! The theme was western/cowboy and they went ALL OUT!

The tables were decorated so cute and the food was wonderful! We even drank out of cowboy boots (mine had root beer and Porter's had lemonade!) They did not forget one detail. The room was FULL of mommies and sons. It was fun to see Porter light up and get excited about each thing. He told me his favorite things were watching the mechanical bull, hitting the baseball, and riding the John Deere Gator for the hay-ride. My favorite part was dancing with my date! We did the Cotton Eye Joe and two-stepped across the dance floor! I loved every minute!

(p.s. My camera battery died half way through the evening so I had to snap lots of pics with my phone, but I think I captured the highlights of the night!)

We left around 8:00 and Porter crashed when we got home! He was the perfect date and it is a memory I will NEVER forget! :)

Take a look at our fun night:

And the weekend fun continued!!!....GUESS WHO was at church on Sunday morning? Deuce! (from the Rough Riders) Porter was in SHOCK! What a fun surprise! We were so excited to know that Deuce goes to church too! :)

And after church, we headed to Gilmer for a quick trip to visit Mia and Poppy. Porter got to see new baby birds and loved every single minute in the East Texas air!

Whew! What a fun weekend!!!

Take me out....

....to the BALLGAME!

Last night, we made our annual trip to the Rough Riders game! Porter was in HEAVEN! The very first thing he noticed and adored was the John Deere Gators driving around on the field! Deuce, the mascot was a close second for his attention. :) He even got to go to the Rough Rider store and buy a new baseball cap and baseball. And, of course, what baseball game would be complete without a hot dog? He devoured one in about 10 seconds!

One day, we hope to get season tickets, but for now, the grass seats work out perfectly. :)

GO ROUGH RIDERS!!!!!

Perseverence=Success!

Well, it's official....Porter is potty-trained!

YIPEEEEE!

HOORAY!

YAY!

It has been 7 days since we officially started potty-training and I am happy to report that after MUCH planning, MANY rewards, and some MINOR accidents, Porter is doing great and there are no more diapers at the Carroll house! :)

I planned for months. I read books about potty-training. I talked to friends about their success with potty-training. Porter had actually been showing signs of being ready to use the potty for a long time, but I wasn't ready! Then finally, when he told me he didn't want to wear diapers anymore, I knew I had to get busy!

Sooooo, last Sunday night, I prepared the bathroom downstairs for our bathroom boot camp! This is what the bathroom looked like the night before "no more diapers"....

There were books about potty-training, books to read while on the potty :), disinfecting wipes, several different potty options (ha!), a baby that "wets", sticker charts, activities to keep us busy in the bathroom, etc. I was armed and ready!

We had been telling Porter for a week that very soon he would be wearing big boy underwear and no more diapers! Every time we asked him if he was ready he would yell, "yes!" So, when he woke up on Monday morning he was pretty excited about the new plans and only got a little sad when we packed up his diapers and watched the garbage man take them away. :(

Porter responds really well to reinforcers, so after filling up his sticker chart the first day of potty training he got to go to the store and pick out a toy.....he could pick any toy....

...and all he wanted was a new ball! :) We were happy to give him whatever he wanted as long as it would keep him motivated!

One day he got to pick out a guitar, which was a hit as well!

And of course, we told anyone and everyone about his potty progress! Here we are talking to Mia on Skype and she is praising him big time! :)

We stayed home for 2 1/2 days without leaving and it was tough...but we did lots of fun things together and Porter enjoyed the uninterrupted attention!

So now instead of changing diapers I monitor this:

Porter, we are SO proud of you! You are such a big boy now! You did a great job!

XOXOXOXO

We love you,

Mommy and Daddy

a HEART for music!

Sadly, yesterday was our last fun class of Tiny Tots Music at the Heights Church with sweet Mrs. Holly! We were so sad to see it end! But, it helped to know that we are signed up for the summer music camp in June so we won't have to wait too long to sing again! :) (If you are looking for something for your toddler, I HIGHLY recommend this precious class!)

Porter thinks Mrs. Holly is famous. He was star-struck when he took this picture with her yesterday! Ha! :) He loooooves her! She has a beautiful, sweet voice and she is wonderful to incorporate Bible teachings in her music!

and here is Porter and Avery (his new little friend) patiently waiting on class to start

Porter is frozen still when Mrs. Holly sings

He loves the scarf song!

This is a priceless shot because it totally captures what he was like in class....he thought it was all for HIM and he would make his way to the front and center of the room to watch and listen to Mrs. Holly! :)

Thanks for reminding us of this, Mrs. Holly!

all the kids would do whatever Mrs. Holly asked them to

Porter couldn't wait to see what song was next

Each class ended with bubbles and a song and stamps. Porter enjoyed every. single. minute.

After class yesterday, Porter is telling Mrs. Andi and Avery how he is potty-trained now! (more on that soon!) They were super excited for him! :)

The same routine happened after each class....Porter and Avery would RUN to the windows to play. They have a sweet friendship!

Ticklebugs!

We met Avery and her mommy the first class and Porter and Avery hit it off from the start! They play so well together~!

We are so thankful for the great time we had and the wonderful new friendships we made!