Potty Training

Taylor's second birthday is fast approaching and I figured it's time to start the dreaded potty training. She definitely shows signs of readiness. She tells me when she pees, she hides when she poops and if I take her diaper off, she won't pee on the floor. What's the problem then, you ask? She HATES the potty. I can barely get her to sit on it, much less pee in it. I think she's afraid of it. Really, half the battle, in my experience at least, is getting the kid to pee on the potty the first time. Both my boys were 100% daytime potty trained by the time they were 2. I think Taylor is going to be more difficult. She's extremely stubborn.....like me.

I've tried all of the tricks. She will sit on the potty now without freaking out because I started out rewarding her for sitting. We sit and read books on the potty, I fill her up with water and juice and NOTHING. She refuses. She doesn't get rewarded for sitting anymore....now she has to potty....which she won't do. I have heard different suggestions....buy her a baby potty, just quit using diapers, etc. I refuse to buy a baby potty. She has a princess potty seat she puts on the toilet. I don't want to shell out $30 for a potty (that she will be equally as stubborn with), since I have been able to get her to sit on the toilet for free. Plus I feel like when you use a baby potty, then you have an extra step in training them because in public, there are no baby potties. I am too lazy to quit diapers all together just yet. If I could just get her to pee ONCE I think we'd be in the clear! Oh, well. As long as she's trained before she goes to school, right? LOL!

I need to get better about taking pictures!

Maybe I just need a new camera to keep me motivated to take pictures! LOL! We've done so much this month but I have no pictures to show for it so I'll just give a quick update.

The kids went back to school and resumed their activities. Andrew is progressing well in gymnastics and I think he will be soon moving up to the boys novice gymnastics team for kids 5-7. He just turned 4 so that's pretty neat!

Connor is still in running club at his school his first race was last week. There were almost 400 Chandler school kids participating, Kindergarten-6th grade. He came in around 230...which is actually pretty good since he's only in Kindergarten! GOOOO Connor!!

Taylor started a mommy and me preschool class at a nearby church. She really loved it. She was shy at first but by the end of class she was dancing in the middle of the circle while we were singing our goodbye song. I think she enjoys going to "school" like her brothers.

We signed the boys up for t-ball, it starts in March and goes until June. We probably could have signed Connor up for coach pitch but we wanted to try to keep the kids on the same team for convenience since I'm working now and Bryan has to do all of the running around when I'm not here. Then Connor starts ice hockey again at the end of June and then swim lessons start too! We're keeping the kids very busy!

I've been working at my new job 3 nights a week. Did I mention how much I love it?? LOL! It does get tiring working nights though. In a way it has actually brought us closer as a family. When I am off, we try and spend as much time as possible together. Last weekend we went to the Phoenix Zoo, to Tempe Marketplace for dinner and shopping. Then Bryan got out our bikes and pumped up the tires. We took a nice long family bike ride through our neighborhood with Taylor in the bike trailer. Then we practiced hitting and catching baseballs at the park. I've been exhausted but that's okay! My kids are happy.

Today I went to the dentist. The dreaded dentist. LOL! I don't have any cavities...good news! Bad news, one of my fillings is going bad and I need a crown. BOOO! I'm just glad I caught it before I needed the root canal. After I'm done with my dental work, I'm getting braces!! Yes, I'm 13. LOL! I have always wanted braces and I didn't get them as a kid. I've decided this is something I'm going to do for myself. A bright, straight smile.

Our family is also being blessed with a new baby. NO, I'm not pregnant but my sister-in-law is! Her little boy will be welcomed into this world sometime in June. I'm so excited for her and for me too! Now my kids will have a cousin to play with on my husband's side of the family. Maybe she'll let me babysit!

On a serious note, my brother-in-law's 21 year old son, Josh, was killed in a motorcycle accident a couple of weeks ago. He will be forever missed. Please pray for my sister and her family, for God to give them peace. This was such an unexpected tragedy and it makes me so sad to know that they are going through so much sadness right now. I love you Johnson family.

That's all for January, we're ready to take on February!