Merry Christmas, and Happy Potty Training!

Franny-bug says Merry Christmas:



The kids have been having a great time, and I am having so much fun on my break with them. My family came to our house on Christmas Eve, and we had a nice Christmas dinner and opened presents.

I have to show off the homemade play kitchen that my amazing husband built for the kids:



It is so cute! The Doodlebug/Ladybug love to pretend-cook (and real-cook, for that matter), so I know they will have a blast with this. "Santa" brought it on Christmas Eve.

Here is the Doodle with his present from Uncle Andy: a real ukulele. He has been running around pretending everything he owns is a guitar for months now, so he was thrilled with this!



On Christmas morning, we got up and went to Nana and Papas house to celebrate Christmas with Craig's family. We opened Christmas presents in the afternoon and the kids had fun seeing their cousins.

Also, can I mention that potty training is going awesomely? The Doodle is wearing "underwear" (cloth training pants) all day long with almost no accidents, and even though he is sleeping in diapers at night, he has stayed dry for four nights in a row. He is very into it and tells me "I'm SO BIG!" :)

We have had a potty chair and training pants available to him for a long time now, but we didn't pressure him at all. He knew they were there to use when he wanted them, which he did every now and then. Then when he decided he was ready, it was almost like he trained himself. (Daddy did tell him he could have a chocolate chip each time he used the potty, as an extra incentive...) Anyway, I'm very proud of the Doodle and hope this post doesn't jinx us!

Return to "Normal"

Finals are over, and I am over finals! One semester down. I actually have really, really enjoyed classes, and even studying for and taking finals. But I am now ready for a much-needed month to catch up on my real life! Because while I walked out of a test on Friday feeling pretty good about how I did, I was even more giddy about the fact that on Thursday, the Doodlebug had pooed in the potty for the first time. Yes, this is my life. :)

I finished up on Friday morning, and on Friday afternoon the kids and I went to the dinosaur museum (giving Daddy a much-deserved break). Here's the Doodle standing next to a mastodon. (It was too big to get them both in the picture, so I went with my handsome boy.)



When I came home Thursday night, someone had made some "muffins" and left them baking in the "oven" (under the rocking chair). They were delicious!



Franny-bug rocking her shades at Grandma's today.



She looked so funny in her little outfit I had to take pictures! Here she is using the oven door as a mirror to make crazy faces at herself.



So how are we? Pretty great. I remember panicking a little when the Doodle was only 7 months old and we found out he was getting a sibling. In the early months of two-under-two we kept telling each other, "It gets easier." Of course, we had no reason to know that but we had to say it to keep our sanity.

Turns out, it does get easier and easier is now! We don't have to hold their bottles, spoon-feed them, or swaddle them and trick them into sleeping. For the most part, when they find small objects on the floor, Atticus ignores them and Franny conscientiously delivers them to me.

Although, truth be told, Craig went into Atticus room the other day to find Franny balanced on the foot-board of Atticus' bed, heel-to-toe, like it was a balance beam. (We have to admit, the girl does have an uncanny sense of balance.) And when we try to sing along to the ABC song from their CD, Atticus witheringly says, "Mom, don't sing!"

What's not to love? :)