The Curse of Potty Training

 I found this is my "draft" box. Oh the good ol' days. Atleast I can laugh at this now. And I did.

We've tried everything, or so it seems, and for a while it seemed to be going well. Then this week came along. I'd like to just throw it away and start over but unfortunately they don't let you do that. It started with Breanne making a great first impression with the nursery leader by wetting her pants. Now, I blame myself mostly for this one because I couldn't figure out how to take Breanne to the bathroom and hold Kaitlyn at the same time. We were at a new ward and I didn't feel comfortable asking a complete stranger to hold my 6 month old. So I took a risk and obviously lost. Then, on Monday, she woke up and found Cameron in the bathroom in the shower and felt that she couldn't go in so Cameron comes out of the shower to find Breanne changing her own wet underwear and I think she pooped her underwear that day to, they're all starting to blend together. Tuesday she did well in the morning. She woke up went potty and then we took her to grandma's house and she ended up pooping in her underwear there! Wednesday, today, it started out fine again but come noon time she wet her underwear again. Now, I know what some of you might be thinking "this is all part of potty training". But we've already been through this! She hadn't had an accident in her underwear in a few weeks besides pooping in them every couple of days, but even then she pooped in the toilet all by herself. I thought that we we're really getting some where. Apparently we have to start back at 1. so between cleaning up wet or poopy underwear and Kaitlyn spitting up (more like throwing up) on the carpet every time she rolls over, not to mention that I can't get either one of them to sleep today, I feel like I just might lose it today...just might.
Anyway, the whole reason that I was writing this was to show my next idea in the potty training adventure. I made a chart that she'll get to put stickers on if she goes potty and poop in the toilet and if she does pretty well the whole week then we'll get to have some kind of "party" at the end of the week. I don't know if it will work. I've tried punishing her for going in her underwear and that hasn't seemed to work too well. I've tried giving treats after every time she goes, but that has only led to her deciding that she really doesn't need that treat so she doesn't need to go in the toilet. I think this might be the last idea I have. If it doesn't work I just may give up, okay, I won't but I don't know what else I'll do. I desperately need more ideas in case this one fails. HELP!

Trip to WA and a Birthday

 We started out our trip to Washington with a layover in Denver. This is what we were staring at for 5 Hours.

 But we made it on our planned flight, by some miracle. It's a good thing too because if we hadn't I would have had two little girls in tears as the plane pulled away without us. BUT it didn't so we were ready to party! We celebrated Bre's 6th birthday and at her request we had a Tea Party.

 Between my mom, my sister and I we were able to get all the food done. The cake pops, while cute and tasty looking, are really a paint huffers dream. Here's the story and a lesson to anyone wanting to make cake pops.

My sister has a cake pop pan so that made it fairly easy except they kind of looked like balloons. Anyway, so we melted candy melts and started dipping. But the candy melts cooled and hardened quickly, the cake balls were falling off the sticks and sticking in the candy, it was dripping so the candy decorations were falling off...lets just say it was a lot harder then I would have thought. But 49 cake pops later they were done. This would have been fine but we needed something to stick the cake pops in to keep them upright. My sister had (what I am sure was a great idea in her head) an idea to spray paint some foam blocks. I won't get into all the mess ups I made completing that task. I'll leave it with my mom ended up with a green sparkly rock and I had green hands. Like I said, we needed these to keep the cake pops in so we didn't have a lot of time to let the block sit. We put them in the block and them in the frig to keep them from melting. The next morning the taste test reveled that the cake pops were more like "paint" pops. While they were in the frig they soaked up the fumes from the spray painted blocks. The adults graciously let the children have as many as they wanted. We figured the only thing wrong was that they tasted strange and no brain damage would be caused. The research is still out on that. So the moral of the story is, "Don't let Nicole use spray paint when it involves children's birthday parties or food".

 A few of the victims of the "paint" pop experiment. No, they hadn't had any up tot his point.

From left to right: Sophia, Piper, Austin, Breanne, Kaitlyn

 I'm  pretty sure everyone had fun, including the Birthday Girl.

 And I can't miss a photo opportunity when my dad wears a tie. This was his "Tea Party" best.

 He found an accessory at the party.

 Cousins, Aunts and Uncle

From left to right: Chase, Sophia, Benjamin, Heidi, Piper, Marina,

Austin, Breanne, Kaitlyn

My Birthday Girl 6 years ago.

I can't believe how time has gone by. I know everyone says that but I don't think you really listen to the people who tell you that until you experience it for yourself. She's lost 2 teeth, reading short books by herself, helping make meals, growing tall, skinny and beautiful. She only wants to do good and be obedient (even though she forgets sometimes). She has a strong testimony and her faith is so sure. She's a light to our family. I really hope these next 6 years slow down a bit.