On potty training

In the midst of potty training there is always a moment when you feel like it is never going to happen, this child will never learn this new skill.  What you need is a little perspective.  I remember when I was potty training Kylynn and I had been cleaning poop out of underwear for two weeks asking my bible study group to pray for me and for her to get through this stage.  The leader of the group turned to me and gently told me that everything was going to be okay, Kylynn would learn this skill, she would not still be wearing diapers when she went off to kindergarten.  Which was of course my fear: that this stage of my life would never move forward that I would be stuck potty training forever.

So it was when Jack was walking around the house in his 12th pair of underwear in week three of potty training that I decided I needed some perspective, I needed someone to tell me everything was going to be okay.  I needed someone who could look in from the outside and give me some advice.

I called my friend who as a special needs pre-school teacher has potty trained many children, she is as far as I'm concerned a potty training expert.  I told her what I was doing and how it was (obviously) not working.  She gave me a new plan: set a timer for 10 minutes, every 10 minutes reward Jack for dry underwear (since that was our problem) with candy (don't forget you can cut up one piece of candy into four pieces), repeat until he's got it down.   Then move onto setting the timer for 30 minutes, and so on.

After only a couple of days he had an accident free day, earning a trip to the "movie eater" to see Cars 2.  After a couple more weeks we're down to having about one to two accidents a week.  Suddenly life is normal again, my baby boy is potty trained, he's not going to get kicked out of pre-school, I'm not going to lose my mind, and I've never been more grateful for a friend like her.

A lazy blog about my vacation

Ahh...it was a vacation, it was restful and fun and beautiful, most importantly it did not get above 85 degrees, need I say more.  Here's a recap of our vacation in pictures, with a few captions thrown it, it's 125 degrees here and it's making me lazy.

the view from our bedroom

we saw "goat mountains" (Jack would say) on one of our drives

we drove a lot!

on the way from Ruidoso, NM to Lincoln, NM

the original and still used PO in Lincoln, NM

This is how Jack looks in most pictures taken over vacation

my favorite lunch on the trip The Dolan House in Lincoln, NM

the cafe had fancy glasses even for the kids, they did great!

it rains there...imagine that

I'm blessed I am

I sat down some, that was a nice change

I made Kyle take my picture so people would know I was there too

the view from the back porch

the house we stayed in, thanks Dad!

the view from our street, on the first day there we saw two elk and my aunt saw a bear!

playing at a local park

crossing over the creek

Jack's first horse ride

the old pro

the view from the local playground

our drive to Alamagordo, NM

the space museum in Alamogordo, NM

Kyle flying a space ship

what do you think this is?

Hi, my name is Jack and I'm the cutest boy who's ever lived!

so blessed

the first monkey to fly in space, no not Kylynn, the statue

Cloudcroft, NM 8600 ft. above sea level, so beautiful!

I insist that ice cream be eaten as often as possible on vacation

I learned that rule from my Dad

the hubby golfed

it was my mom's birthday, she turned 35

The End!

The age of broken hearts

I got a phone call this morning that stopped me in my tracks.  Four of our friends are moving away to Austin, two of the families are friends that have become part of my family, people who have made this journey I'm walking along smoother, brighter.

Kylynn is old enough to understand what is going on by over hearing a conversation, something that I am not fully aware of most of the time.  So immediately after I hung up she asked who was moving to Austin,  I looked at her, told her, and watched it break her heart.

Five year olds spend lots of time whining, being dramatic, and even fake crying to stack the cards in their favor.  This time the tears were genuine and deep, as she curled up into my lap to cry, all my walls around my heart broke down and I felt her pain, which was my pain, and cried along with her.

She cried for a while, talked about how she felt, asked some questions.  And then it hit her, she would draw her friend a picture, a big picture.  Just like that she had moved forward, she was still sad but as they say life must go on, and so it would.  She would take her grief and do something with it, having faith that things will be a little better tomorrow, and the next day, and so on.

So I followed her lead, I cleaned the kitchen while I prayed, and after a while I realized I was praying for the wrong person (namely me) and not the friends who actually needed some prayers right now.  I prayed for them and all that needs to happen for their move, for their pain and sorrow and having to leave their homes, friends, and families.  Soon I felt better, hopeful, seeing the picture much clearer.

I couldn't help but think how this is the first of many broken hearts for my little girl.  This one will not even register on the scale when she looks back at her life.  That it all starts now, the age where friends will not want to play with her, and it will hurt.  Where words will cause pain.  A life lead outside of me, where I will not be able to protect her all the time, where I will not always be able to heal her pain.  I pray that she will never lose that quality of hers, the one that feels pain when it's there, but doesn't allow sorrow to overtake her, instead moves forward, choosing to put her energy into creating beauty.

Did you miss me?

We got back late last night from our summer vacation.  I know I didn't really tell you I was gone, though I hinted at it, no matter how silly the thought that someone would find my blog and then decide to rob us while we're out of town, I figure it's better safe than sorry.

I'll post more details and pictures soon, but it was a great vacation.  Nine days of Kyle getting up with the kids, very little cleaning, and very little cooking.  Nine days of highs in the 80's and lows in the 60's, windows open, and a breath taking view of the mountains.

Every time we go visit Ruidoso, NM we talk about moving there, it's that kind of place.

Today I've been unpacking, opening mail, making grocery lists, and I took a big ol' nap, vacations wear me out.  Realizing summer is soon coming to a close, finding the time to be a patient for some young doctors, and enjoying the sound of giggles from children so glad to be home.

Library Day

I have always had a fascination with libraries, they are one of my favorite places on this earth.  I have rarely visited a town without spending time in their library, often amazed by just how nice even small town libraries are, disappointed that I don't possess the ability to check out a book, magazine, or DVD that catches my eye.  I remember a summer when a traveling library came to our neighborhood, a book mobile, and the excitement and anticipation I felt walking home with my latest read was pure joy.

In the heat of Texas summers the library is a haven for both me and my children.  I love our library located in downtown, where the children's section is big and secluded and they have almost as many toys as books.  We take back our bag full of books and leave with so many books and movies, I have to kick Jack out of the stroller in favor of the book bag.  The kiddos love the treat of each getting to pick out a movie all by themselves, and so we are often found watching Christmas movies in July (Jack's favorite choice) or The Sleeping Beauty ballet (Kylynn's choice).

When we get home the kids cannot wait to look through their stash of books, I spend my time picking out as many for them as they do.  They dump the bag out and begin to look through one and then another, not knowing how to read they are each consumed quickly, greedily.  Kylynn's latest fascination is books on CDs, we spend a long time looking through the choices, finding some suitable to her age, and we actually find several.  She will ask on this day alone, "is it rest time yet?"  She longs to go to her room turn on her audio book, then sit in her bed, surrounded by piles on books, to get to spend a whole hour enjoying each one.

The library is no longer about me, although admittedly I enjoy just being there.  I cannot find the strength or parenting skills to browse books with three children in tote.  But thanks to the internet I am still able to leave with a stack in hand.  I request the books and movies I want before hand and they are waiting for me when I check out.  And on library day I long for the kid's rest time just a little more than the other days, to curl up on my bed and get lost in a book.  To reclaim those feeling of joy from my childhood, the anticipation of falling into a new world, the excitement of finding new people to love.