Dante missed something...

Unless I skipped over a section of the Inferno, I truly think Dante neglected a key element in detailing the various circles of hell. If you really want to stick it to somebody for all eternity, forget about the wailing and gnashing of teeth...force them to attempt to potty train a "spirited" 3 yr. old 'til the end of time!

As you may note, my sarcastic sense of humor is just now beginning to return, as hopefully (pray, knock on wood, do that catholic cross-y thing) the worst of it is behind us. After pulling out all the stops...every trick in the book (and there were several) consulting with the pediatrician 3 times, bribing, cajoling, guilting, etc...etc...we finally took drastic measures...threw out the pull-ups, locked ourselves in the house and tried the "Jen Denton Hell or Highwater Method" (tm) :)

She's doing great and hasn't had an accident in 4 days! Of course we haven't taken this show on the road very much yet, so I may be counting my chickens about now. But she will proudly tell you, "I pee-peed at Target!" :) So...we shall see. Regardless, she earned enough stickers on her potty chart for her "red fishy from smartpets." She named the fish, Ariel.

Here's a pic of Gracen and her new friend.

Thankfully, Pavin is just about the easiest going kid around...otherwise he'd go nutty putting up with his two favorite women all day long, especially after being under lockdown with us for 5 days. Speaking of, he's got a new trick...


You know those pendulum clock things at museums that have a big ball that swings and knocks down the dominos to tell time? Pavin has his own (much cuter) version. He lays under his Baby Einstien gym and slowly works his way around in a circle, little by little. If I could figure out his average speed and consistency, I'm sure I could use it for time keeping purposes. "What time is it, Jen?" "Oh, just a bit past the red cardinal."

While he continues to hone his skills as a human watch, his sister has become an artistic genius. When Gracen first drew the following pictures on her easel, I thought it was a fluke. So I asked her to erase and recreate them. She did exactly the same thing. This was what she drew.

Mommy: "Yous a lady. Yous have long hair"

Daddy: "Hims gots curly hair on hims head. And hims got scratchy hair all over hims face."

Happy Birthday, Beautiful Princess! ;)

Today our baby girl turned 3...(and her Daddy celebrated his 29th birthday for the 3rd time!) We are just gushing with happiness and pride over the fun, creative and sweet girl she is becoming...and Freddy just loves sharing this day with her. While her passion and independence push every button we've got some days, it's that same spunk and spirit that makes her the amazing little nut we love beyond words!

She started the day with a audible gasp of excitement over her Cinderella cake. She saw it in a magazine a while back and couldn't stop talking about it. She was overjoyed to say the least and kept saying, "Oh! Thank-you, Mommy! Thanks for making my special cake!" I even caught the tail-end of a "conversation" she was having with the cake wherein, she was happily listing all of the little friends who'd be attending the her party. And what a wonderful fiesta is was! She was so excited to see all of her buddies and share her "happy day" with them. We held the shin-dig at Color Me Mine...a new pottery painting place here in Bluffton. The kiddos got to choose and paint their own ceramic pieces (mugs, banks, mirrors, etc.) that they will pick up in a few days after being fired. While it went against the very fiber of my being...I restrained myself from "helping" Gracen with her tiara shaped piggy bank, making it a true multi-colored heirloom. :) Thanks so much to all of the munchkins and their families who shared this day and their friendships with us! We love you all! Here are a few pics from the festivities...apologies to the Daddies of the crown wearing boys for some of the photos.

Freddy enjoyed his day as well...especially, the early morning birthday greeting from Gracen which included getting his rather large card chucked at his head in the excitement. The card by the way, has the Superman symbol on the front and plays the Superman theme song when opened. We've heard it a few (million) times today. After the party, we had a great lunch together as a family. This is where Pavin joined the action. He woke up and ate early this morning, played for a while and then slept through Gracen's entire party. It wasn't until we drove to the Island for some yummy pizza that he started to stir. He is such a sweet, happy baby! Here's a clip of Payco in his full cute-ness, discussing which he prefers...the birds that hang from his Baby Einstein gym...or Mama. :) (Again, I'm a dork and loaded the video sideways and can't figure out how to un-do it!)

Simply a terrific day for the Denton family! We are so very blessed.

Who needs the stinkin' writers!?

As the writer's strike enters its umpteenth day, I've started to seriously question the future of my entertainment requirements. However, today's random series of events have left no doubt in my mind that life in general will continue to be more than enough to make me laugh and provide priceless entertainment value.

Gracen has spent the day in her increasingly common magical world of pretend play. I try to remain out of sight as much as possible to catch the little actress in the moment. This morning's drama revolved around a "Pall at the Palace" (Ball at the Palace) for which Ballet Baby was preparing. I heard her say, "Okay, you all ready?...Oh thank you, Fairy Godmoder!" This was the result...Ballet Baby dressed in bodice and tu-tu puzzle pieces, complete with princess bandaid accessories.


As lunch was coming to an end, I heard her say, "Look Mommy, I turn a cookie to a rocket...like on Little Einsteins."

now, it kind-of looks like one of those weird ink-blot things and perhaps I've just been hanging out with a toddler for too long, but I actually see a similarity!

Now...as for the Pavster, I've often said he's a 0 to 60 kind of kid. Meaning he can go from totally chill to totally crazy in no time. Today's tummy time turned from a heated kick/flail fest to passed out sleep in an instant!

The best part of the day thus far was just captured on video. Check out Gracen attempting to sing one of her new favorite songs, "Boogie Shoes" to her brother, Payco. (The fact that I couldn't get the clip to turn the right way only adds to the nutti-ness...turn your screen sideways if need be.) :)

As a final thought...it really would be nice if the writer's could get their deal. After all, the kids do have to sleep at some point and I really need me some new Jim Halpert.

Soccer Payco

So I guess about a month ago, Gracen came up with a little pet name for Pavin..."Payco". When asked why she calls him that, she usually replies, "'Cuz him a little, little Payco." Although we thought it might be a short lived thing, it appears to be sticking. She is relentless about it. Today he is "Soccer Payco" which makes her belly laugh when she says it. :)


Speaking of the little, little Payco...he's not so "little, little!" Weighing in at over 13 and a half pounds and nearly 25 inches long at his 2 month appt.! He's a big bundle of love. And as this picture shows, just about the sweetest thing ever! Wonderful things come in ginormous little packages. :)


This week at MOPS I did a talk on manners, based on the Polite Child program that among other things, emphasizes the importance of teaching young children good table manners. Obviously, I am an EXPERT in the field! :)

My Family of Morphos...

So my friend Heather, the Internet Queen :)tells me about this site (myheritage.com) where you can input photos and using facial imaging software, they find your celebrity matches. Now obviously they are getting fixed images, so they suggest you keep submitting photos and try to note a pattern of reoccurring matches to see who is most likely your overall match. It is so funny and kind of neat, as although Fred, Gracen, Pavin and I had different personally reoccurring matches, Pavin and Fred shared many similar matches and Gracen and I shared similar matches. When I submitted photos of my sister, again...her overall match was different than mine, but we had many common matches as well. Here are the results...

Apparently, I am a near dead ringer for Melanie Chisholm aka "Sporty Spice" because I kept matching her over and over again. She is one I shared with Melissa, who's reoccurring match was Jessica Simpson. Pavin and Freddy's cracked me up! Both of them kept getting Pedro Martinez and Carl Lewis! Fred also got a couple of Christopher Reeves (which is interesting as Gracen has said for quite some time that "Daddy is SuperMan!) Pavin also got several Shirley Temple matches, as did Gracen. By far Gracen's common match was Emma Watson (Hermione Granger of Harry Potter fame) with Katie Holmes running a close second. Gracen also got a Pedro Martinez match which added to the hilarity. She and I shared several matches including the previous mentioned Mrs. Tom Cruise and Misha Barton of the OC. Oh...Melissa also had a couple Misha Matches. In addition to Pedro, Fred and Gracen also shared a Natalie Portman match. (Fred as Natalie Portman? Crazy! Esp. as Fred thinks she's super cute!)

Here's a morph of Gracen and Miss Portman...

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