Glitter gal - Reward system

Since nothing I have been doing punishment wise has been working and the kid's behaviors have been out of control, I decided to try something new.  This concept was given to me by a friend but having never seen hers, I made up my own kind of a thing based on what she described.  Basically, it's a reward system and it looks like this:

Reece's Sparkle Card:  Let's Sparkle and Shine chart.

 A close up:  As you can see there are spaces for stars and then every so often there is a big sparkle.  These sparkles get farther apart as we get closer to the bottom of the chart (kind of like a weaning type process).  She earns stars by doing good things - doing something the first time she is told, NOT doing something the first time she is told (not to do it), willingly sharing with her brother, using good manners (may I be excused?), asking permission for things, helping me without being asked or with being asked and joyfully pitching in, helping her brother, etc.  She puts stars all across until she reaches a sparkle spot.  When she gets to a sparkle she gets to draw a paper out of a bowl (see below) which will have something fun on it.

 Bowl of fun things...like playing a game with mommy/daddy (she chooses who and what), piece of candy, picking a movie, play doh, coloring with mommy/daddy, reading a story with mommy/daddy, etc (I am in need of more ideas so please send some my way...nothing big like "Chuck E. Cheese"). 

I made one for Brody only because he really wanted stickers too...but he gets the concept more than I imagined.  The other day I asked if he would please go in the living room and get "sissy's blanket" while we were putting on our coats to go bye-bye.  He said "sure", ran to get it, and brought it back.  I rewarded him with a sticker and praised him.  I always explain why they are getting the sticker and I make sure to tell daddy all their good behaviors when he gets home (I wait to tell him all the bad ones when they are in bed or somewhere else - unless it needs to be addressed in front of them/him).  I can probably hear some of your groans and questions now.  I am the last person I would have ever thought would have gone to this kind of a system.  But after constant yelling, disciplining, time outs, spankings, etc...I had to try something else.  I feel like all I do is punish and I really don't want us to all be that miserable.  Granted there will still be times for punishment, but if I can catch them doing some good things, I am hoping some of the other things will melt away and this good behavior becomes 2nd nature to them and is just part of who they are.  It really is working so far.  We also established some consistent punishments based on certain bad behaviors.  For instance, if they choose not to listen to me and do something I told them they couldn't do (or don't do something I asked them to do), they have to stand in the corner with their ear to the wall.  This reminds them that their ear/lack of listening is what got them in trouble.  I also have a punishment for "sins of the mouth" (lying, talking back, etc) and other behaviors.  I thought if they knew what punishment they were getting it would help them know their consequences and I would know what to do and not waiver or go back and forth.  I found myself threatening punishments a lot but not following through because I didn't know which one to give for what.  So now that we have everything laid out, we can be more consistent.  If you want to know more about this, feel free to ask me about it.  I worry about this topic a little because everyone has such differing opinions on which way to go.  My opinion now is...you have to do what works for each child and for your family.  I am tired of mommy monster setting the tone in our house...it's time to take control!!  I'll keep you updated on how it is working.  But so far, it is going well!

p.s...Do I believe in spanking?  Yes...

Good deeds and SNOW

A concept that I have been teaching the kids over the past year is lovin on our neighbors.  This is very easy to do since they are all so lovable!  In the summer, we always bring up the neighbor's garabage cans up close to the house.  It can get windy out where we are and with living close to route 9, neighbors are known for losing their garbage cans.  Since we are all out playing and they are at work, we stop to help them out.  So today since it was in the mid 30's and not windy, I let the kids get all bundled up to check out the snow.  The first thing Reecey asked is if we could put away all the garbage cans for the neighbors (I use to do this on my own but once the kids figured out they roll, they wanted to help...see, I am a good example every once in awhile).  So we went up the street rolling all the cans up to their houses.  Fun and easy lesson to do with the kids!

(Sara if you are reading, you can be a witness that this is your house and not mine! - you can actually see our house down the way in the back)

 Doing by example like big sis...

1st Gingerbread house

While my husband and I got to enjoy a much needed date night (for his birthday), my neigbors watched the kids and helped them construct their first ginger bread house.  I didn't miss out on all their fun as I got to help them get started before I headed out the door.  My neighbor being all pro and everything had all this candy lined up for them to pick out...but the trick was they couldn't eat any of it because it was super old!  I suggested that next time we have bowls for them that they can actually eat since it was very hard to keep them from eating it!  Here is the finished product...

 Reece did this side of the roof...

 Brody did this side (pretty good I thought)

Update on the kids

Once again, another month has passed and I am just now getting around to posting something.  We have been really busy with school, errands, Christmas shopping, Awana, etc.  We have been learning a lot of new lessons this past month.  It has been rough on me as a parent that is for sure!  There are so many learning opportunities that I narrowed down a top 10 list from the year and will be including it in our Christmas card this year (or course, trying to make light of it).  I will post them on the blog after I know the cards have been received (I don't want to ruin the surprise).

Reece
Reece is as bubbly and enthusiastic as she has been since birth.  She is enjoying school.  So far in school they have gotten through the letter K in the alphabet.  Each week they focus on one letter and do all kinds of activities around that letter.  I can't believe how much she is learning.  She was selected as star student one week at school and all the students got to learn more about her.  That was a neat time for her.  She is learning all her verses for Awana too.  It is neat to see her learning about the love of our Savior.  She has been quite a handful this past month and I am wanting to see obedience without the "dis" in front of it.  I think we are heading in the right direction.  Everyone told me that parenting would be hard but I never imagined it being this hard.  It is constant teaching, re-directing, punishing, discussing...it is very tiring.  Trust me, I have no problem going to sleep at night...correction...I wouldn't have any problems falling asleep if someone wasn't constantly getting out of their bed (main reason Brody is still in a crib).  I continue to see God's wisdom and direction on how to parent this child (each of them).  Without Him there are days I might just pack up and run away!  One day last week I was at my wits end with her.  I was doing my morning quiet time and read some quite comforting news about the peace God offers - even when raising our children.  "I am leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and heart.  And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.  So don't be troubled or afraid" John 14:27.  There was a devotion in my bible on experiencing God's peace - it just so happened to be tucked into where I was reading in John (where I am in the "bible in a year" reading).  Jesus promised peace - not absence of conflict.  If we turn our worries into prayers and present our needs to God, we will experience God's peace.  "Your stomach will stop churning.  You'll be able to sleep. You'll be able to face the days without tears.  You'll be able to focus on what needs to be done.  You'll be able to deal with your kids without yelling at them.  You'll be able to get through the crisis intact.  How can that be?  The conflict is still there; we still have a long way to go to get out of this crisis. The peace comes not from feeling good about our situation.  It comes from knowing the one truth that matters most:  God is in control."  I give it all to Him.  I don't want to be in control of it!

Brody
Everywhere we go, Brody's smile is recogized as innocent, cute, big, "the best".  He's a happy guy with a bubbly personality like his sister whom he totally adores.  He is also very affectionate.  Loves to cuddle and hug and when one of us is gone, he is the first to greet us when we walk in the door with a hug and a kiss (and scream).  His smile truly lights up the room!  A month ago we ventured into potty training.  I didn't think he was ready but he asked about the potty.  I let him sit on it and much to my surprise, he went.  So that day we began and it's been a whole month now (I think he started training the day after my last post).  He's truly been a piece of cake to train.  I never thought I would say it about a boy...and especially not my cautious boy.  It's nice be free of diapers!  He has learned the art of throwing a temper tantrum which is not so fun when it happens in the middle of a crosswalk! Again, each day is a crisis...I mean learning opportunity in which God can strenghten me with His peace.

 The boy loves his underwear...and his sister's boots!  While there are some things she does that I am glad she is his example, other things I hope he doesn't pick up on.  Wearing her boots is not one of them but it made for a cute picture.

 My cuddly momma's boy!

 Reece saw a picture of me with braids in my hair - I was about her age.  My mother use to do this to my hair, make me sleep on it, and then when I woke up I would have instant curly/crimped hair (this was before the days of crimpers!!).  So she wanted me to do it to hers.  26 braids later....

and 12 hours later...A totally 80's girl!!

Bulk cooking, Dinner co-op, and Hospitality information

Since before Reece was born, I realized how important it was to plan meals in order to eat healthy, eat on time, save money, save time, and just eat in general.  I worked and went to school and after that was complete, I got married and started having a family.  I realized that planning meals was never going to be easy in our busy lives.  I love to eat...I love to cook...I love to be healthy...I love to save money.  In order to do this, I began always making a double batch of meals and always freezing one.  This allowed me to fill our freezer full of home cooked meals on hand for a busy day or just on days I didn't want to cook.  As I began doing this more and more, I discovered I was barely even cooking during the week which was super nice. I prepared most of my meals on the weekend for the future and used what was in the freezer to meal plan for the week. The times I did cook during the week, it was crazy and chaotic with kids cleaning to my legs and me ending up with more gray hairs or less hairs on my head!  I came to the conclusion, I didn't want to go through that again.  And I know many of you go through that each night too.  Whether you work or not, single or married, married with a family, coming up with something for dinner, is stressful for all!  Even if you are single, you can bulk cook!  For example, make a pot of chili and divide it into several servings and freeze in quart size zip lock bags or plastic containers. 
Each time I had a baby, many people brought us delicious meals for several weeks.  I began thinking about how great of a service this is to new moms or anyone really.  I heard the idea of a dinner share or dinner co-op and began researching that.  I brought the idea up to my sister in laws, mother in law, and friend and we formed a dinner co-op in July. 

So what’s a dinner co-op?


Also known as “cooking co-ops,” “supper clubs,” and “supper swaps,” a dinner co-op can take any number of shapes and forms, but the basic idea is that a group of people cook for each other -- allowing everyone to eat more home-cooked food but saving time (and often saving money) in the process.

What got me starting to think of a dinner co-op? I was tired of eating the same meals and dinner time being chaotic and stressful. I did a lot of freezer meals on my own but they were always the same few recipes. What started me thinking about this was after having babies, how it felt to get meals from other people. It’s just different when you don’t have to make it. I also did so many freezer meals for my family and saw the benefits to doing all the cooking at once. So I began looking into dinner co-ops. I had heard that the ladies in my bible study were doing one but they all lived in the same neighborhood. They all raved about the benefits so I decided to look into other ways of doing it. I had heard other people say they would be interested so I figured I would give it a shot…if anything, it would be a good MOMs topic, right? 

I found a lot of different formats for dinner co-ops:

One format is defined as a small, geographically close circle of cooks who alternate cooking and delivering weeknight meals. You cook only once a week, but in exchange, you receive dinner two or three other nights. Cook for friends or neighbors all in one night – delivered hot. Say you have 3 neighbors…you each take one night of the week to cook 4 meals (one for yourself, one for 3 of your neighbors). You each agree on a night that would be best for each of you. On your night, you cook your meals, and deliver by a designated time (say 6pm).

Freezer co-op - cook whenever you want, pop in the freezer, and exchange with others in your group on designated date.

Group cooking – picking a date and getting together at one location, cooking all the meals together and exchanging all at that time.

For some groups, they cook the main course, some cook salad, main, sides, and dessert, some do just the “meat”. There is no right or wrong way to do this…you decide as a group.

Dinner co-ops have some shall we say “meaty” benefits:
♥Saves time; Cooking all at one time, having meals in your freezer for the week/month

Who thinks dinner time is the most chaotic time of the day (if you aren’t prepared). I do most of my cooking on the weekend when my spouse is able to watch the kids or during nap time so that it doesn’t stress me out with the kids in the room or taking time away from them

♥Less stress; Relaxing/quality time with family on the nights you don’t have to cook

I have less stress on the nights that I don’t have to cook.

♥Variation; A variety of meals in your freezer that you can choose – made by a friend

♥Clean kitchen; Enjoy a clean kitchen most of the time;  making one big mess

♥Saves money; buying meat when it goes on sale, stocking up on side items with coupons. Going out to eat less often.

♥Not thinking about what to have for dinner; Go to your freezer and lay it out the night before.

♥Organizes your schedule ; putting meals on your calendar or saving for hectic days.

When you receive meals from your dinner co-op, look at the month, and put them in a spot…then you know what nights you need to fill in. Or save them for hectic days. You still have to kind of plan because you have to thaw most of them. Be flexible…if you don 't go by what’s on the calendar, no big deal…just something to go by.

♥Eating healthier – not eating out as much, eating healthier home-made foods

So 4 months ago, I started a dinner co-op. For the people in our group, it was easier to cook when we wanted, freeze them, and meet once a month to exchange meals. We have 6 people in our group and we exchange once a month. That means you have about 2 meals a week that you don’t have to worry about. For my family on the days we don’t have one of these meals planned, we do something on the grill, something simple or something else I pulled out of my freezer when I did bulk cooking. I rarely cook during the week! Our co-op does just the main course, no sides, no dessert, etc. We decided to start out simple and see how it worked and then we could always change as we went on. I feel it’s easy to whip up a side or steam some vegetables.

To start our group, I found the cookbook called “Fix, Freeze, Feast”. This recipe book has 129 recipes that are considered tried and true freezer friendly meals. I liked this cookbook because it was divided by chicken, pork, & beef. Since we had 6 people in our group 2 get chicken, 2 get pork, and 2 get beef each month resulting in a variety of meals – not getting stuck with all chicken in one month. And this can help balance the cost since some meats generally run more expensive than others. I thought that by using the same cookbook that none of us had tried, we would be trying some new recipes. I also thought that if we ended up not liking something, it’s not hurting anyone’s feelings…it was the recipe, not the person who made it. One source said this: “ This (a dinner co-op) sounds great on paper, but a few of the dinners have been -- how to say this -- a tad unpopular? Okay, they've reeked. But that's not the biggie. The big problem is, how do you tell your very good friend that the dinner she so conscientiously prepared for your family really tanked, without stomping all over her feelings?" I also liked that it was a cookbook designed for freezing meals and cooking in bulk. Most recipes in the book make 3 meals. Since we have 6, all we have to do is double the recipe. And it’s a good cook book for those not interested in a co-op…you can make the 3 meals and cook one for yourself, and save the others for later or have one to pull out for a friend in need. This cook book also tells in the list of ingredients, what kind of things you’ll need in order to freeze the meal – how many tin pans or zip lock bags , etc. The first 20 pages are filled with helpful tips on how to buy in bulk, how to cook in bulk, how to shop, how to make a shopping list, how to set up your kitchen, safety tips, trouble shooting items like what if I measured an ingredient wrong, etc. Besides the chicken, beef, and pork recipes there is a section on making and freezing homemade marinades and sauces, meatless main dishes, sides, soups, breakfast, snacks, and sweets. It also has a section on dinner co-ops. Another awesome thing about this book is that in the back, there are labels for every recipe in the book. You copy these, cut them out, and put them in the bag with your meal – it tells you what the meal is, how to cook the meal and suggestions on what to serve it with.

A lot of groups do it differently so for our group we thought it was best if we had someone kind of in charge at least to start out with. So I took on that role for our group. Basically what I do, is print out a recipe for each person, the labels to go with (sometimes I scan these to someone else to print so we are sharing the responsibility), and give them to each person at the next swap. We meet the first week of the month and we are flexible on the date. We also try and meet when we can all hang out but it isn’t necessary. Some of you might be wondering if we live close to each other – we don’t. We have 2 in Normal, one in East Bloomington, one in West Bloomington, one in LeRoy and one in Lexington. By us doing the meals on our own and freezing them, makes it unnecessary to live close to the people you are in a co-op with. Find a time to meet or a place to exchange – like even bringing your meals to church.

Tips on joining a dinner co-op

Be flexible – know that you will not love, not even like every recipe that you get. But the good news is that you likely won’t have to eat it again and it’s just one or two meals a week that may potentially flop. On the flip side, you also don’t have to worry about pleasing everyone. Also be flexible about when and where you meet.

Letting go of your perfection – I have a confession to make…I am a perfectionist…but I am an efficient perfectionist. Having other people make meals for me has enabled me to let go of that a little due to the efficiencies I am gaining.

Need help with all of this?
I would love to help any of you get started on bulk cooking or a dinner co-op.  I recently presented this information to a group of women at our MOMs group and helped 3 groups get started.  I will be helping another group in the next week or so.  The reason I am saying this or posting this in general is because bulk cooking and doing the dinner co-op has been such a blessing to me and my family.  I know the other girls in my group would also agree.  I know that I am able to bless others because of it too.  Even tonight I am taking a meal to a friend that just had a baby and I didn't even have to cook one single thing...it's all in the freezer ready to be heated up for her and her family to enjoy.  I would love to help you or answer any questions...please, just let me know!

Hospitality - what does the bible say?
Hospitality is a true desire of my heart.  I love to open my home, cook, and serve others.  Not only do I love it, God calls us to it.  Hospitality has been stressful in the past and by doing things like this, I am more prepared and less stressed to have guests over (I will talk about the cleaning preparation aspect in another post).  I am sure many women feel this way.  I always have desserts, appetizers and meals in the freezer to bring out whenever I spontaneously invite people over.  Or whenever a friend is in need.  What does the bible say about hospitality?

Matt. 25:40 "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me".  When we serve others, we are serving Christ.

1 John 3:17-18 "If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion how can God's love be in that person? Dear children lets not merely say that we love each other, let us show the truth by our actions"

1 Peter 4:9 "Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay" or an even more convicting wording is "Offer hospitality to one another without complaint"

Hebrews 13:1-2 "Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it"

A hospitality team (for EWO and our MOMS group) is being talked and prayed about at this very moment. Please be in prayer over this with me as we ask for God's direction on what this will look like and who will be involved.
Other information and sources:

Dinner at Your door - Tips and Recipes for Starting a Neighborhood Cooking Co-op

This is an article that helped get us started

Link to cookbook on amazon: Fix, Freeze, Feast

Wisconsin Dells 2010

We decided to take the kids on a little trip with us - our first family vacation - to the Wisconsin Dells.  The kids did so amazing!  It was a 4 hour car ride and I never once heard them complain.  They are such great car riders!  We went to the Kalahari - and indoor water park and theme park.  They did very well with not much of a nap and slept great at night.  I didn't know what to expect with Brody since he had never slept in a hotel before but he did better than Reece!  They even slept in!  It was amazing and it makes it much easier to consider going again.

Here's the first morning in the lobby after breakfast - getting ready to go into the water park.  Can you tell they are excited?!

 Just some of my slides...Reece went down those yellow and green ones like 50 times!  She has no fear and was willing to do any of them!  She is so much fun to do things with.

 There were 3 kiddie areas to play in and this was the biggest one...double decker bridges, water pouring out everywhere and tons of slides. 

 This is the only slide Brody would go on...he's so not like Reece...very cautious.  But he did most things if we would do them with him.  And we had the whole place to ourselves so that helped.

 He loved the rides though!

 Indoor Ferris Wheel...kids aren't too sure of this but we did it twice anyhow.  They also had a really neat indoor go cart track which we did a 1/2 a dozen times.  The kids liked mommy and daddy racing each other.

 The girlies kind of stuck together. 

 The boys (see the Ferris Wheel in the back?)

There are so many other cool pictures that I could share but there is just not enough room.  I put them all on facebook though.  I highly recommend the Kalahari!! P.S. there is an outlet mall directly across the street!!

Halloween 2010

Although Daddy could only hope this would be Reece's halloween costume selection one year, this is just Reece having fun in Dad's hunting gear for the season...

 Here's the real costume - Dorothy and her little dog To-to

 We tried to get the whole gang together as the Toy Story theme but there aren't many girl costumes for this one.  Reece could have been Ham (the pig), or Bullesye (the horse), or even Mrs Potato head but she was okay with not being part of the group and going as Dorothy - Wizard of Oz is her favorite movie.  Since she also has to dress up for part of her school parade I would have felt bad sending her as one of those other characters.  As part of a group, it would have been cute, but separately it wouldn't have made a whole lot of sense. 

 The Toy Story crew + Dorothy - Bo Peep (Gracie), Dorothy (Reece), Rex (Brody), Buzz (Bo), Jessie (Kennedy), Woody (Tate)

 He just waddled in this little costume...it was too cute!

All the little treaters snacking on popcorn and watching a movie...they have so much fun together!

We're Alive!

For the past several weeks, we have been sick around here.  I am pretty sure that for 2 weeks straight, I didn't get more than 4 hours of sleep per night.  It was quite rough.  We've all been to the doctor and each one of us was treated for something different.  Brody had a sinus infection and an ear infection.  They originally put him on amoxicillian but after a week or so I could tell he started getting worse again.  At this time was when I was in my breaking point in my illness and Reece came down in the morning and said her ear hurt.  At that point I knew we were going back to the doctor and I desparately needed to go as well.  I was gone the night before, but Reece said that daddy had given her ear drops the night before.  I thought about this for a moment and said "but we don't have ear drops".  Reece says "Yeah we do...daddy gave me some".  I frantically started searching for a sign of these so called drops.  I found sitting on the counter a bottle of eye drops used to cure pink eye in the past.  I started to panic.  I called "daddy" who explained he had found those eye drops when looking for the ear drops we had used in the summer (to cure swimmer's ear by the way) and he didn't put them away after he was done searching.  So ear drops were used but not ones that would help with an ear infection.  So back to the doctor we went...

We discovered that Reece had a double ear infection and was give an antibiotic. Brody was switched to a different antibiotic to help him clear up again.  After that, we headed to the prompt care for me.  I had a really bad cough for 2 weeks.  So bad that my ribs and stomach hurt...I felt like I had done hundreds of crunches each day.  Although my tummy could use a little exercise, this cough wasn't doing the trick.  I was just thinking it was a bad cough and that it would pass.  But one day I would feel well and the next day I would feel horrible...after 2 weeks of this and a fun weekend planned ahead, I thought it was time to see if there was something more to the story.  Come to find out, the verdict was bronchitis.  Luckily, we were secluded from most activities during that 2 weeks and hopefully didn't pass anything along.  We are all feeling much better now although Brock seems to be coming down with something again.  He had gone to the doctor once before and was treated with an antibiotic as well (possible sinus infection) but he hasn't been able to kick it just yet.  I am really praying that we are not passing this thing around again.  It's too early and too nice out yet to continue being sick.  The last few weeks in confinement has about put me over the edge!  Here are a few photos.  The first one is of Reece and Brody being good and sweet at my doctors appointment.  They were playing so nicely and Reece says "Mommy, take a picture of us"...and I had my camera handy!
 

I went downstairs to check on my quiet buddy who sits and watches Toy Story I and II literally all day.  He was sitting so nice and sweet drinking his milk and watching the movie.

I come down a few minutes later to find this...looks normal so far right?

If that blanket wasn't there...well, let's just say we've read about Adam in the Garden of Eden.  He got completely naked all by himself.  This is his new thing and I can't say I'm real thrilled about it except for it might aide us in potty training that will be taking place soon.  The other morning I got him out of bed and the first thing he did was hand me his pajamas.  More posts later this week...Halloween and Wisconsin Dells!

Brody turned 2!

Brody turned 2 yesterday.  We had his party on Saturday and we went to the pumpkin patch all day Thurday on his actual birthday.

Here is the cake and favor table.  I made the cupcakes from scratch this year (and the frosting)...it was Hershey's recipe and pretty good if I do say so myself.  I am not much of a chocolate fan but these were super moist and the frosting was crisp yet creamy.  I sprinkled crushed oreos on top for "dirt" and added grubs, worms, etc on top.  I put them all on this car rug instead of a table cloth.  I used and old toolbox and dumptrucks that we already had at home to help with the decor.  The little yellow garbage cans contain the favors for the kids - truck stickers, tool set, and candy (including pop rocks).  Oh and hard hats!

 Decorations - paint type can with scrap book paper, rocks, sticks with pictures of construction type things.

 Favor and decoration

 Some signs we borrowed

 Kid table (Tate, Bo, Brody, Rylee, Baylee, Kennedy, Reece)

 Singing happy birthday with Brody's birthday cup cake in a dump truck

 Brody's favorite gift - buzz and woody pj's and a card that sings.  He had a hard time deciding which pair to wear.  I would start to put on woody and then he would cry for buzz "ityer".  Then I would start to put on Buzz and he would cry for Woody.  This is what we landed on...

 Harley even got in on the fun and the kids gave him his own hard hat.

 Eating his birthday breakfast donut at the pumpking patch

 With his cousins (Reece was at school for the first half of the fun)

 Tate and Brody

 We even went back after nap since daddy was out of town, we live close, and we have passes!

Brody had his 2 year doctor appointment today where he got his shots including a flu shot.  He is 33 inches tall (25% - shorty!) and 31.2lbs (80%).  He is a healthy, growing boy!  He is talking so much and I love to hear his little voice.  He is still a mommy's boy which I do love and he still LOVES his milk.  He's a special little guy to us!