What's on my mind these days...

Note: The pictures in this post will be totally unrelated to the post content. But, I snapped these pics of Clara playing with the big pile of soil we had delivered last week (we were building a new flower bed) and just wanted to share!

1. Potty training
We took about a two month hiatus from potty training Gustin and we just started up again. I don't really feel like I quite know what I'm doing with potty training, even though this is my third time to do it. But, I do know one thing: Gustin is an exceptional case. Exceptionally difficult! How many 3 year olds do you know that have peed inside the refrigerator?

So we're on day #6 of potty training now and yesterday he went all day without a single accident. Dare I say that things are looking up? I sure hope so because this boy will by 4 years old in a few months and I do not want him to still be in diapers!

2. Getting easier
For me, it really takes about a year after a baby is born to get completely back on my feet. It takes that long for me to physically, hormonally and logistically recover. Of course, the first two happened months ago, but finding a rhythm to our days and not feeling like life is running ahead of me and that I'm constantly trying to catch up takes a little longer. But, I'm actually staying caught up on laundry these days! And we're getting little organizational projects done around the house that are really helping things run a little smoother. Eric put some hooks on the wall for the kids to hang there coats, he put dividers in the junk drawer so now it's organized, I reorganized the pantry. Ahhh... getting even these little projects done sure feels good!

3. American Heritage Girls
Elizabeth joined a new troop of American Heritage Girls a few months ago. It's similar to Girl Scouts, but in my opinion, it's better. Girl Scouts does not seem to be as organized, and if you start looking into the things they support at the national level (such as Planned Parenthood), it's a little disturbing. American Heritage Girls is much more faith centered (Girl Scouts does not focus on faith at all) and is the only scouting program for girls endorsed by the Boy Scouts (a program I really respect). AHG is not as wide spread as Girl Scouts, but if you are interested in scouting, I highly recommend it! Both Elizabeth and I are absolutely loving it!

4. Still loving my kindle!
Right now I'm reading Middlemarch by George Eliot which is a massive book. I've been reading it for weeks. But, since I'm reading it on my kindle, I don't have to haul around a humongous book and since it's taking awhile for me to get through, I don't have to worry about late fees at the library. Love, love, love it!!

That's all I can come up with for now. I'm off to take my girls to a birthday party while Eric takes the boys to a Cub Scout event. Enjoy your Saturday!

Pure joy

On Thursday this week, Jonathan brought home his book order from Scholastic Book Clubs. I loved getting books that way as a child. A brand new book all my own; I was in heaven! So, I really enjoy being able to provide the same opportunity for my kids. Every time a Scholastic Book Club order form comes home, the kids are allowed to choose one item. This time Jonathan picked a 3 pack from a series of books called Dinosaur Cove. I'd never heard of them, but we thought we would give them a try.

Well, as soon as Jonathan hopped in the van after school, he started reading the first book. By the time we got home, he had finished the first chapter. He continued to read for the rest of the evening only stopping to do his homework and eat dinner. I couldn't help but grin when we actually had to tell him to put his book away so that we could say grace. He finished the book before bed time.

I had to work so hard all evening to not let on to Jonathan how excited I was to watch him read in this way. I felt like I was about to jump out of my skin! My son has learned to love to read!

That Dinosaur Cove book was the very first book that he ever voluntarily picked up and read silently to himself. He's a decent reader, but he normally only reads when we tell him to and it is always aloud. Now he's entered into a whole new phase. As Eric said, the entire known universe is now at his fingertips. Anything he could possibly want to to learn about can be found in a book and now that he has discovered the joy of reading, his young mind will be able to learn and grow so much faster. And, I can't express how fun it will be for me to observe the whole process. It's one of the great joys of parenting!