Takin' a ride...on the potty train

Finally! Leah celebrated her third birthday on Father's day. It was not only a milestone, but a deadline of sorts. I have been trying to potty train her for a year. We decided that it was time to draw the line...no more sippy cups, no more diapers, no more...baby. So Leah got her choice of underwear and we got serious. I won't say that it is perfect, but we are almost there. Like so many other moments in motherhood, this one is bittersweet too. It means I am officially out of the baby business. According to Leah, "I'm not a baby. I drink big girl cups, I pee the potty, I brush my teeth, that I can do." Yes you can, baby, yes you can. "I'm not a baby."

It's so true. What do I do now that the years of being completely devoted to my babies are over? I guess now I have to turn some minute part of my focus back to myself. I am forced to stop rocking back and forth even when I'm not holding a child. I will have to relax when I hear a baby cry, because more than likely, its not going to be my own. I am now willing to pick up any baby, whether I really know their parents or not. It's scary but still so exciting. Happy Birthday Leah!

Miracles do happen

This week was a fun week for the boys. For over a year they have been asking for a Nintendo DS. Most people know what this is- a portable video game system. Needless to say, it isn't cheap and Santa has yet to come through. The boys have been saving their money and we have been talking about ways for them to get to their goal. I explained that when you are a good person and you do the things you are supposed to do, good things happen. If you do more than you're expected, you can make your own miracles. Thursday there was a mysterious package on the doorstep when we got home from the store. I whipped out my phone and caught it all...

The joy of summer

It is finally here- summer, and the bliss that comes with it. No obligations, no practices or games, no early morning starts, no lunches to pack. We can wake up when we want, eat when we want, go where we want, play in the water, have Wii tournaments, etc. It has been a great week so far! I love this calm and the fun of watching the kids work out their disagreements and interact in the way that only siblings can. It makes me remember all the summers I spent as a kid in Idaho. We have such great memories! I was talking to my dad about the way we were raised tonight and he was saying that there are things he regrets- being too strict. I feel so bad that he would worry about that. We got to do such amazing things. I rode in a tank, sat in a helicopter and an F-16, and shot a machine gun. I raced sailboats and rode mountain bikes in Moab with Hans Ray. I rode and wrecked motorcycles before the age of 10. We had Smartie olympics and made salads with weeds. We searched for Oregon Trail artifacts, survived a tornado in a tent and camped on the trampoline more nights than we slept in our beds. If anyone asked I think we would have said we had a normal childhood. I think looking back I can now say that we had an exceptional childhood. We didn't just grow up, we were raised. We were taught and loved. I know that my kid's stories will be different, but I hope that someday they will look back and tell people that they were raised to be exceptional people.

A night at the ballpark

Here come the fireworks!

Leah loves all you can drink!

I am so over this baseball thing!
Can I just watch the game?

So Glamorous!

Tonight we had our yearly company picnic. Every year we go to a Midland Rockhound's game and enjoy a really great picnic before- barbecue, hamburgers & hot-dogs, all you can eat and drink everything...my kind of party. It is a long night for the girls, who don't really get baseball and frankly have had enough from the little league season to last them a very long time. The game was exciting though. I took one or more kids twice to the souvenir store (didn't buy anything) twice to the bathroom, twice to buy drinks and cotton candy, twice to get ice cream, and I guess that's it! We got free ice cream, but with the temp at the ballpark at 106, it didn't even make it back to the seats. The poor boys and I were covered in ice-cream soup. To add an extra dynamic to the situation, there was a stiff wind blowing in the twenties. At one point it was creating a sort of chocolate mist that would make any mother cringe. Can you say Tide-to-go? Needless to say it went straight into the trash! Keeping Anna calm and Leah in her seat was a challenge, but when the post- game fireworks started, they were in heaven. I think this year Leah actually looked at them with thrill instead of fright. She was in awe- it was so fun to listen to her comments on the stars and sparklies.