Potty Training

So lately potty training with James has fizzled out.  He started off with a bang a few months back when we bought his froggy potty.  He would sit on it all the time.  Then he plain out refused to go near it.  I tried the big potty and he liked that for a couple of months.  Now nothing until today.  What happened?  I ran out of diapers!  I remember using the last one from the diaper bag last night before jammy time.  When I went to change his diaper this morning, no diapers!  What is a mother to do?  Go to the store immediately right?  No, desperate times call for desperate measures...  The conversation went a little something like this...  I say, "James, we have no more diapers."  "No more?, " he replies.  "No more diapers honey.  Mommy needs you to go pee pee on the potty. Can you go pee pee on the potty for mommy?"  "Mmm-hmm."  Okay right.  So it's been 5 hours and he's sat on the potty three times already!  Fingers crossed!

Lily's new tooth!

There has been a sighting!  Lily lost her two front bottom teeth.  The first one came out January 5th, the day after she returned to school.  She said to me, "Mommy, this has been bothering my teeth."  She then proceeded to hand it to me!  It was such a shock.  I figured we would have at least a couple days of wiggling and whining but no fuss, it literally popped out.  I thought she may have had some sort of injury at school.  Sure enough, the new tooth has been spotted.  Relief!  I really wasn't that worried.  Her bottom teeth did come in at 3 months so I was expecting her to lose her teeth early.  She will be 5 in just a couple of weeks!  She's growing up so fast!

Moving???

Here we go again!  The military likes to keep things exciting!  A couple months ago we were moving to Plattsburgh, last month it is Poughkeepsie and now things are silent again.  It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't already take 7 pre-requisite classes for an accelerated nursing program that starts in May.  Of course I can stay and still go to school, that is an option.  But is it a healthy one for the family?  Do I break up the family during a non-deployment and then again during deployment?  When I start my clinicals, how am I to get Lily to and from school?  Is there a daycare that will take James from 7am to 8 or 9pm?  How am I going to study?  I know there are so many single mothers out there that go to school and work so I know it's possible and it has been done before.  Also, no written orders in sight, just talk.  So we'll see!

During a brief school break I have 3 quilts and a huge scrapbooking project on task.  Actually 4 quilts.  Two I need to finish and 2 are for baby showers.  I know the quilts are a stretch but I am making headway on the scrapbooking.  A couple hundred photos, a bin load of supplies.  I can do this!  Time limit:  just under 3 weeks.  No new pictures will be ordered until everything is pasted and scrapped.  I'll try to post some pictures of my progress.  I figure one project at a time right?

So far ten pages have been started.  I like to mount the pictures and decorate the pages and then put a heading, words or journal entry later.  I'm not sure if my system is the most efficient way to get everything done.  But when I'm back logged I do the assembly-line approach.  I'll pick out a few pictures for about 10 pages.  I usually do a 2 page layout for each theme.  So 2-3 photos a page, so 4-6 photos for a 2 page spread.  I design the page and mount the photos and embellish a 2 page spread at a time.  Now fully equipped with a Cricut, I go back to the 5 2-page layouts and finish with words and descriptions.  So far so good. 

I can't wait for the day when I can scrap one event at a time.  I hope I get there!  I still need to fill in James' baby book!  Fortunately I write daily events down in a calender so I can go back to that and look back at pictures and dates to fill in the gaps.  Time flies when you are having fun!!!

Winter

I love the cold, the snow... well in reason. If it's cold and there is no snow, I'll admit it, I get a little irritated. Last winter was miserable. It was the first winter up North after living in Virginia for 6 years. It was cold and wet, maybe 3 or 4 snow storms but mostly rain. I didn't have an electric blanket. gasp! I tell you, that thing is a lifesaver! No more getting in to bed shivering in the cold sheets... (Thanks mom!) This winter has been gorgeous. For the past week we have awoken to fresh powder. Everything is just so peaceful under a blanket of the white fluffy stuff. And so far I really don't mind shoveling, even though we bought a snow blower. It's a really huge John Deere and I just don't feel comfortable starting it yet. I'll get there I'm sure after the next couple snow falls.

The kids play in the snow just like my sister and I did. Bright red cheeks, freezing cold fingers and utterly exhausted but they keep building their snow tunnel. Nika loves the snow as well. She whips around the backyard like she was still a little puppy, helping the kids with digging their tunnels. Lily loves sledding. She is a little thrill seeker. She already loves fast rides at fairs and amusement parks. It will be just a matter of time before she is on-line to the biggest and fastest roller coaster. James on the other hand shares my sentiments of going fast, we just don't like the feeling of our stomachs jostling around. At two years old, he's not keen on sledding this year, he prefers to make snow angels and eat the snow. So cute!

I'm glad we are back up North because I really did miss this cold. But again, it's only been one and a half winters. Things could very well change in the next couple of weeks!