Slowly Losing My Sanity to Potty Training

I kinda feel like there's not a whole lot to blog about lately, but life is going really well. We've had a fairly slow, relaxing January, and I just get to enjoy hanging out with my boys and having fun!

One of the most exciting things that have happened recently is that Grant and Connie received a mission call to serve at Martin's Cove in Wyoming. They are SO excited, and we all enjoy listening to Grant tell us how he is somehow going to figure out how to take his gator quad down there to use... We're a little skeptical that he will be able to change the rules on that one, but I guess we'll see. They will be there for 6 months and leave this April. It will definitely be very different around without grandma and grandpa! We will miss them a lot, but plans are already in the works for us to drive down there for a visit sometime while they are serving. Here is them opening their mission call! I thought I was recording it as a video... but obviously the picture below is not a video. Sad I didn't record it.

We are so impressed with the example they are setting by leaving there busy lives behind here to serve the Lord. All of the grandchildren will be able to write to them and pray for them while they are there.

Here are some pictures of the boys that I've taken recently. Brody love getting his picture taken. Connor's still not so sure about it.

Here is Connor at 3 mo. old on the rag quilt I just finished making for him. I couldn't get a picture of him without him opening his eyes extra big. As soon as he saw the camera they would get super wide. He's growing up so fast and starting to chunk up a bit.

I tried to get one of him smiling, because he smiles all the time, but he seemed to have a problem smiling while his eyes were open so wide. This was the only shot I got where he didn't have giant eyes, and he's sort of half smiling.

This is Brody's favourite pass-time in the whole world.... He lives a breathes for the chance to spend some time on the iPhone. I've got a few pre-school games and kids apps that he already knows how to navigate in and out of. We are recently trying to use this love for the iPhone as an incentive to get Brody to use his potty.

Yes, you heard correctly! We are potty training Brody!!!

... only it is taking the longest time ever, and we are seeing sides of him that I'd prefer not to know existed. Although he is very talented at going on the potty, he is very stubborn, and does not like sitting on the potty. However, we MAKE him sit on the potty, and then he usually does a great job. Our only accidents usually occur first thing in the morning as he's getting out of bed. Go figure, when he was in a diaper, he would always wake up with a dry diaper. Now that he is in big kid underwear, he seems to have to pee as soon as he starts moving in the morning. Thank goodness for mattress covers and washing machines.

I thought he would have figured out how to transition into telling us BEFORE he has to use the potty, but it seems that after 3 weeks of having pretty good success when we put him on, he has no desire to actually SIT on the potty, so he won't tell us if he has to go because he knows we will ask him to sit and try. Incentives don't work, constantly asking him doesn't seem to work, practicing doesn't seem to work... so I'm not sure where we're going wrong. Any ideas or advice would be so greatly appreciated, because I usually feel like I'm about to lose my sanity at least once a day.

So, I just bought a membership at this gym in Stirling. I think it is so great when people take the risk to start up a business in a small community. I have really wanted to exercise more, and have a hard time finding the motivation, so I'm trying out the gym idea in hopes that having to pay a bit of money will be more of an incentive to use it. I absolutely love the gym already. It's not too busy, really clean, and all of the equipment is in excellent condition. I can use it at whatever time of day I want, and that works wonderful for me, because Kevin's schedule is one that makes it difficult to go during the times I normally would go. Now that I'm exercising more, I feel great! I don't think I've lost much yet, but I feel more energetic and just that great feeling you have when you are active. My goal is to lose another 10 lbs. to make it back to the weight I was when I got married. Wish me luck!

(Also... have you tried Zumba? I LOVE it, and go every week since it started in Stirling. I'm awful at it, but I love it. Dancing is pure fun to me, and it makes exercising seem like it's not actually exercise. I'm hooked).

I've started up at directing the choirs again now for the Stirling School Elementary. I didn't realize how much I missed it until I started again. I love those kids. I love hearing their progress, and I love the feeling that I am helping them to learn to love music, and to understand how to sing. We were able to sing O Canada at a Hurricanes Hockey Game last week in Lethbridge. Only 16 of the kids could come, but they sang so well. I was proud to be in front of them. They were so well behaved, and they seemed to have a lot of fun. I'm so grateful for all of the parents who also came to support us. I know it makes a big difference to the kids to have their parents there to watch them perform. Even though it is just O Canada, I remember being older than them, doing the same thing, and being so nervous. I hope it's an experience they can remember as they grow older.

Kevin and I sang in church last Sunday. I try to act nonchalant when Kevin says yes to singing places with me, because I know that if I make a big deal out of it, he would stop saying yes. However, if I actually voiced my opinion to him on the matter, it would be this. I LOVE, and I mean L-O-V-E singing with my husband. I hate to admit it, cause it is kind of my thing, but he is a better singer than I am, and he still seems to be improving at it. Does he get razzed for singing? Yes, but he still does it every once in a while with me. He tries to act like he is only doing it because he doesn't like saying no to people, but I hope he realizes how important it is for him to set an example for other young men (and old men) that you can be a macho guy and still sing well. I know very few men who are willing to look past their own pride to sing in front of their friends, but he has been able to do that on several occasions now. I love him for it. I appreciate it. I look forward to hopefully doing it again with him in the future.