A Weekend of Firsts

FIRST #1

I've had the little potty sitting in the bathroom for quite awhile. Gracie and Emmett never used the little potty, but Jessie will sit on it (fully dressed) while I'm going to the bathroom...until last Friday when she told Jason she had to go potty, he took her in, sat her down, and she went!! She's been peeing on the potty several times a day since! I'm so excited, but very wary because she isn't even two yet. We may be intensifying the potty training over the weekend and see how it goes...
Eating a congratulatory cookie!

FIRST #2

Last spring, Jason and I bought a two-night hotel stay at an auction. I was so excited - maybe we'd finally get away (even though the hotel is in Great Falls!). Then, I realized that trying to get someone to stay overnight with the kids was going to be almost impossible - family is too far away and can you really ask a friend to do that?
It took eight months, but we did it! Our wonderful neighbors watched the kids for us and we actually got away for an evening and one whole night! It was the first time in almost six years (since Gracie was born) that I have been away from ALL the kids overnight. Jason gets away for work several times a year so he was well prepared for the hours of FREEDOM that were ahead of us! It was fabulous and I truly hope we don't have to wait another six years to do it again! Maybe we'll go for a week next time....! :-)
The second night of our weekend, we took the kids with us. We swam in the pool/hot tub, had a picnic on the hotel floor, watched basketball on the big screen TV in our room, and didn't get a wink of sleep all night (well, I didn't anyway)!! The kids had a great time too. I guess we all needed a break from the "routine".
(We totally forgot the camera, so we don't have any pictures of our weekend away - typical!)

Bath Time and Somersaults

Two little water bugs!

Emmett has been doing somersaults for quite awhile, but Gracie only mastered them when she HAD to...When she started dance classes a few weeks ago, there is a short portion where they do a little tumbling and Gracie was the ONLY person in her class of 15 who could not do a somersault! We spent the next week working on it and she finally mastered them the night before her second class! Now, we can't get her to stop! :-)

Jessie can almost do them - hers go more sideways than forward...it won't be long!

Skate Night!!

The school's parent group sponsored a "Skate Night" yesterday and the kids got their first swing at roller skating - it was a blast! :-) All I can say is, "thank goodness for ratchets that tighten skate wheels for beginners"!!

Gracie with school-friend Adrianne
Emmett did make one lap with skates on, but that was enough for him!
Jessie kept running out on the floor - she was ready, but I wasn't! I was pretty sure those big kids would run her over!

New Year's Resolution

Okay, it's not a resolution exactly, it's more of an unwanted annual chore that I did not complete last year, so I'd better get it done this year! Fortunately, Jessie and Emmett thought the shredder was great fun and helped with the file clean-out.