Potty update

I haven't changed a poopy diaper in three days!!!! Cora has not had one poopy accident. She has been tooting on the toilet for months and finally figured it out yesterday what happens if you push a little harder. YEA!!!! She stayed dry for nearly 5 hours yesterday, before I put a diaper back on to go to SLC. And today, I put panties on her and she went straight to the toilet and pooped again. Lets hope she keeps going!!!!!

The Truth Shall Set You Free!

I got this from a facebook friend and had to share it here. Enjoy all you fabulous Mother's.

1969 BYU Campus Education week. By Marvel Crookston, Instructor

A few months ago, when I was picking up the children at school, another Mother I know well rushed

up to me. Emily was fuming with indignation.

"Do you know what you and I are?" she demanded.

Before I could answer,,, and I didn't really have one handy, she blurted out the reason for her

question. It seemed she had just returned from renewing her driver's license at the County Clerk's

office. Asked by the woman recorder to state her occupation, Emily had hesitated, uncertain how

to classify herself.

"What I mean," explained the recorder, "is, do you have a job or are you just a ...?"

"Of course I have a job," snapped Emily. I'm a Mother."

The recorder smiled indulgently, then she wrote; "Occupation: Housewife."

"Oh no," protested Emily, "I'd rather be listed as a Mother."

"We can't list 'Mother' as an occupation. 'Housewife' covers it," said the recorder emphatically.

I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself in the same situation, this time at the Town

Hall. The clerk was obviously a career woman, poised, efficient, and possessed of a high sounding

title like "Official Interrogator" or "Town Registrar."

"And what is your occupation?" she probed.

What made me say it, I do not know; the words simply popped out.

"I'm a Research Associate in the Field of Child Development and Human Relations."

The clerk paused, ball point pen frozen in mid-air, and looked up as though she had not heard right.

I repeated the title slowly, emphasizing the most significant words. Then I stared with wonder as my

pompous pronouncement was written in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.

"Might I ask," said the clerk with a new interest, "just what you do in your field?"

Coolly, without a trace of fluster in my voice, I heard myself reply;

"I have a continuing program of research (what Mother doesn't) in the laboratory and in the field.

(Normally I would have said indoors and out.) I'm working for my Masters (the whole darned family)

and already have four credits (all my daughters). Of course this job is one of the most demanding

in the Humanities (any Mothers disagree?), and I often work 14 hours a day. (24 hours would be

more like it.) But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers and the rewards are

in satisfaction rather than just money."

There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk's voice as she completed the form, stood up,

and personally ushered me to the door.

As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up by my glamorous career, I was greeted by my "lab

assistants"--- ages 1 1/2, 3, and 7. Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model, six months in

the child development program, testing out a new vocal pattern.

I felt triumphant. I had scored a beat on bureaucracy....and I had gone down on the official records

as someone distinguished and indispensable to mankind, rather than just another.....

Home! What a glorious career!.... Especially when there's a title!

Miss Belle is 2

Yesterday was Miss Belle's Birthday. I can't believe she is two? We had great amounts of fun yesterday. We went to the zoo (way to hot for that but we did it anyway), then we went and played in the GSL. You could have taken a bath in there it was so hot, not refreshing at all, plus the flies were horrible. Cora played for a minute but then got splashed in the face and got salt water in her eye and was not happy after that. Then we came home, showered, had dinner and opened presents. Yea for birthday's!

Miss Belle "stwimming"

She was so excited for her cake. She blew the candles out all by herself.

She got a Wheely Bug and she was so excited to get it. Once she got the paper off and saw what it was she started jumping up and down and yelling "bug bug". So cute.

events

Cait finally lost her top tooth last night. It has been threatening to come out for a long time now. She just lost the other front tooth about 44 minutes ago. Just after I posted this pic.

Camping lots and lots of camping
Our friend Ferdinand the duck. As you can see he is a little different, so we have befriended him.

Could there be???

Could there be a more perfect picture of our trip?

Potty Time

Cora will be two next week and I am obsessed with having my kids on their way to the potty by now. I have been a little slow with Cora, but today I got her a prize. The Potty Watch.

She is just trying it today so I will let you know if it works, I had a friend swear by it. Wish us luck that maybe a week from tomorrow she will be trained.

Boston, Maine, New Hampshire

We are back, we had a great time, we are tired and I have posted a few of our 575 pictures. Enjoy!

Day one: We walked the Freedom Trail, Old Boston is pretty much what it was, the Old State House, North Church, stuff like that. These friendly folk were the tour guides.

This is Paul Revere's house at the North End, now part of Little Italy. We had the best pastries in Little Italy, yum yum.

This is the oldest restaurant in the country, Ye Olde Union Oyster House. Oh my gosh the clam chowder was amazing.

Fenway Park was awesome. What a true part of Boston culture, WOW. We lost in the eleventh inning, but it was a great game.

Day Two: Boston Light House. The oldest Light House site in the country. The British destroyed the original one, but it was quickly rebuilt. We took a boat through Boston Harbor to get there and were able to climb to the top, breathtaking.

We also saw the most amazing firework, live right on the shores of the Charles river.

Day Three: We didn't get to bed until 4 a.m. after a little unplanned event, but got up early and drove the three and a half hours to Augusta, Maine. This is where David spent a great deal of time on his mission. This first Family pic is the Leighton family. The youngest boy (the short one in the back) was less than a year old when Dave was there. Crazy. Dave has a picture of two of the boys wrestling when they were little. It was fun to meet them and have lunch with them.

Family number two were the Fletchers. So nice. Their oldest was two when Dave was there. We had a great time catching up with them and seeing their beautiful property.

Day Four: Half the day on the coast of Maine. Gorgeous and wonderful and would love to spend the rest of my life there. Awesome. And of course we had to have lobster from a little dinky shack right on the harbor. Cheap meal, super great atmosphere and dead fish.

The restroom for the shack was an porta-potty and a wash basin with a hose to spray off lobster juice. Eew.

The coast was so beautiful. This spot was called Pemaquid Point. The light house is on the back of the Maine State Quarter.

Day Five: We were up bright and early to see one of the most gorgeous places in the world. The Flume gorge in New Hampshire. If you ever go to New Hampshire, do not miss this spot, it about brought tears to ours eyes at how beautiful it was. WOW.